Slide 9 Treatment to try to move the embolus along is initiated as soon as possible but usually does not help. This lack of improvement is caused by anoxic damage to the inner retina. Branches of the central retinal artery may also be affected independently. A branch retinal artery occlusion will show the same whitening of the retina it supplies. Patients discovered with this entity are at greater risk of stroke or a cardiac event.
Blood exits the retina through the central retinal vein.
A clot developing in it will cause the blood to back up and leak out of vessels. This central retinal vein occlusion causes hemorrhages and white exudates to occur throughout the retina. This is the classic blood and thunder picture. A central retinal vein occlusion is much more common than a arterial obstructions. In all of these cases the blood flow in the central retinal vein is slowed as it enters the optic nerve.