Blockage of Central Retinal Arteries and Veins

When you are starting to feel blurred vision or impaired vision, then you should consult with a doctor immediately. One cause for sudden loss of vision, even if impartial is a blockage of central retinal arteries and veins, or a blood vessel blocking your retina. This kind of retinal disorder will not hurt at all, but it will not look that nice.

When the ophthalmologist conducts an eye exam, he will be able to diagnose the disorder, but chances are 50-50 that treatment will not be successful.

How does one get a blocked blood vessel in one’s eye? This kind of retinal disorder happens when one of the arteries in the retina gets blocked. This blockage could be a clot or plaque, also known as embolism. The clot will get stuck in the vein or artery and cause inflammation.

The most likely candidates for a blockage such as this are older people with diabetes, glaucoma, or high blood pressure. It is possible that the blockage is only partial, and this means that only partial vision is lost. If the blood vessel completely covers the retina, then complete loss of vision is to be expected.

It is also possible that the blockage is gradual. If this is the case, oftentimes, the patient disregards to gradual loss of vision, assuming it is something temporary only. This retinal disorder can also be serious because of the blood vessel occurs in the central vein in the retina, the veins or branches could become swollen and affect your optic nerve.

Unfortunately, even though there are methods of treating this kind of retinal disorder, the methods are not always successful. In many cases, no improvements are reported. This is why when an ophthalmologist finds out that a patient has high blood, glaucoma, or diabetes, he already cautions them and informs them of side effects of their condition could lead to this kind of retinal problem.

Some of the tests done during an eye exam are the Doppler scanning and the flourescein angiography. These tests will assess blood flow to the eye and damage, if any, to the retina. Further tests include carotid artery ultrasound, and the echo to find out the source of the blockage.

Eye surgery is almost always out of the question, although slight pressure to the eye and eye drops could help lower the tension around the retina. Keep in mind that prevention is better in this kind of retinal disorder because the damage could be irreversible. This is why you sometimes come across a person with a visible red spot in the eye. This kind of retinal disorder rarely can be solved with eye surgery.

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