Central Retinal Artery Occluion: Viual Outcome

Purpoe To invetigate ytematically the natural hitory of viual outcome in central retinal artery occluion (CRAO). Deign Cohort tudy. Method At entry, 244 conecutive patient (260 eye) with CRAO (een conecutively from 1973 to 2000) had a detailed ocular and medical hitory and ocular evaluation. CRAO eye were claified into four categorie: non-arteritic (NA) CRAO (171 eye), NA-CRAO with cilioretinal artery paring (35), tranient NA-CRAO (41), and arteritic CRAO (13). Reult Within 7 day of onet of CRAO, initial viual acuity differed among the four CRAO type (P < .0001). In eye with viion of counting finger or wore, it improved in 82% of eye with tranient NA-CRAO, 67% of eye with NA-CRAO with cilioretinal artery paring, and 22% of eye with NA-CRAO. Viual acuity improved primarily within the firt 7 day (P < .0001). In the central 30-degree viual field, central cotoma wa mot common. Central viual field improved in 39% with tranient NA-CRAO, 25% with NA-CRAO with cilioretinal artery paring, and 21% with NA-CRAO. Peripheral viual field wa normal in 62.9% of eye with tranient NA-CRAO and 22.1% in thoe with NA-CRAO. In 51.9% of eye with NA-CRAO, the only remaining viual field wa a peripheral iland. Peripheral field improved in NA-CRAO (39%) and in tranient NA-CRAO (39%). Concluion Claification of CRAO i crucial for undertanding difference in viual outcome. Marked improvement in viual acuity and viual field can occur without treatment and i determined by everal factor. Viual field information i eential to evaluate viual diability in CRAO.