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Retinal artery occlusion (eye stroke)

Occlusio arteriae centralis retinae · Uzávěr sítnicové tepny (mrtvice oka)

What it is

A clot or plaque blocking the central retinal artery or one of its branches — sudden painless loss of vision in one eye; it is a stroke of the eye, and a warning of brain stroke in the days that follow.

Symptoms & signs

  • Sudden painless loss of vision in one eye, total or partial
  • previous brief blackouts of vision (amaurosis fugax)
  • jaw pain and scalp tenderness point to giant cell arteritis

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Sudden painless loss of vision in one eye
  • call 112 / 911 now Loss of vision with face droop, weakness or slurred speech
  • call 112 / 911 now Vision loss with temple headache or jaw pain over 50
  • see a doctor soon Brief blackout of vision in one eye that recovers

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Emergency — to a stroke unit, not just the eye clinic
  • ESR and CRP in older people: steroids at once if arteritis suspected
  • Carotid ultrasound, heart rhythm monitoring, stroke prevention (antiplatelets, statins) trials support
  • Eye massage, lowering eye pressure, paracentesis — no benefit shown not confirmed in trials
  • Clot-busting drug within 4.5 hours — trials disagree mixed evidence

Natural & lifestyle

  • Stop smoking
  • treat blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol

Emerging & experimental

  • Thrombolysis trials (TenCRAOS, THEIA)
  • hyperbaric oxygen early — case series

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Breathing into a paper bag to raise carbon dioxide — no benefit shown not confirmed in trials
  • Hyperbaric oxygen — case series; no controlled trials early / small studies

ICD codes