Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion with Embolus

Images from a 90 year-old female, who presented for annual diabetic eye exam, with a new complaint of blurred vision OS and an inferior altitudinal scotoma. The color fundus photograph frames show an area of ischemic retinal whitening (green arrows) expanding from the disc nasally. The ischemic area is indicative of loss of oxygen to the tissue, which causes opacification of the inner retina. The black area, seen on the frame with the optic nerve shows an embolus, the cause of the artery occlusion. The OCT also shows hyper- reflectivity (red arrow) which is characteristic of ischemia.