Stroke can affect vision when the area of the brain responsible for vision, and therefore the eye, is temporarily or permanently damaged. Ischaemic stroke is the blockage of an artery in the brain. By the same mechanism, this blockage may sometimes be caused by an obstruction in an artery supplying the retina. This is an occlusion of the central retinal artery. The symptoms are a sudden, painless loss of vision and a white eye. An emergency consultation is required to carry out an assessment and treatment identical to that for a cerebrovascular accident.