Signs and Symptoms of Embolism and it can lead to complete Blindness

Treatment should be started immediately after the first symptoms of retinal artery embolism appear.

Signs and Symptoms of Embolism

Retinal artery embolism causes a sudden painless decrease in vision, up to blindness – in case of complete disturbance of blood supply in the central retinal artery, or loss in peripheral vision, with embolism of the branches of the central retinal artery.

In isolated cases, with certain structural features, there is an additional, the so-called cilioretinal artery – a small vessel that supplies blood to the central region of the retina. In this case, when an embolism of the retinal artery occurs, central vision is preserved, since the cilioretinal artery is fed from another source of blood supply. Although such situations are possible when an embolism of the cilioretinal artery occurs, followed by an embolism of the central retinal artery.

In some cases, as a rule, with a spasm of the retinal artery, periodically occurring blindness occurs, followed by the restoration of vision, this periodic disturbance of blood flow can be a harbinger of complete retinal artery embolism, therefore, you should immediately consult an ophthalmologist.

Diagnostics

An ophthalmological examination reveals changes in the fundus – a pronounced blanching of the retina due to a lack of blood supply, as well as a sharp narrowing of the central retinal artery and its branches. With embolism of a separate branch of the central retinal artery, a violation of the blood supply, and therefore blanching, is observed in a certain sector, in the same case, sometimes during examination, it is possible to find the cause of the embolism, for example, a thrombus inside the artery of Signs and Symptoms of Embolism.

Treatment

Treatment should be started immediately after the first Signs and Symptoms of Embolism of retinal artery embolism appear.

Treatment should begin as soon as symptoms appear, or during the first hours of illness. The sooner treatment is started, the more chances you have to restore blood flow and damaged retina. Treatment must be carried out in a hospital setting. Vasodilators, drugs that improve blood flow and reduce blood clotting, as well as anti-inflammatory and diuretic drugs are used.

Correction of the general condition of the patient is also carried out – the level of blood pressure, the level of lipids in the blood and the blood coagulation system, treatment of systemic diseases after signs and symptoms of embolism.

It is very important to remember that an embolism of the central retinal artery is an acute vascular catastrophe, if the same thing happened, say, in an artery of the heart muscle or the brain, it could lead to death. Therefore, after treatment in an ophthalmological hospital, the patient must undergo a complete examination by a therapist and cardiologist and take medications for life to correct disorders in the general condition.

Complete Blindness after signs and symptoms of embolism

Retinal artery embolism is a severe, rapidly developing disturbance of blood flow in the retinal artery, resulting in complete blindness.

The blood supply to the inner layers of the retina is provided thanks to the central retinal artery – a small vessel that passes into the eyeball along with the optic nerve and then branches into smaller branches, capturing the entire volume of the retina. A normal blood supply is necessary for the functioning of the retinal nerve tissue, therefore, at the slightest violation of the blood flow, the retina stops working and then dies.

The most common cause of embolism, that is, the closure of the lumen of the retinal artery is a thrombus – a limited blood clot. It can occur when the inner layer of the vascular wall is damaged, for example, in atherosclerosis; later, as the size of the thrombus increases, it can either grow and block the blood flow, or break away from the place of its attachment and cause embolism in a narrower section of the artery in its path.

In addition, the causes of embolism can be inflammatory diseases of the arteries – arteritis, for example, giant cell arteritis, narrowing of the large carotid arteries – the so-called ocular ischemic syndrome, as well as external mechanical pressure on the artery by a tumor or dense inflammatory tissue Wheat Germ Health Benefits.

Violation of blood flow can develop in the very central retinal artery, causing extensive damage to the light-sensitive membrane of the eye or its branches, causing damage in a specific sector of the retina, corresponding to the area of ​​blood supply.