Central Retinal Artery Occlusion - Color Fundus Photograph, Example#1

You should look at the Normal Retina photo first for comparison. In this photo, the center of the retina has a whitish color. This arises because the arterial blood supply has been blocked. Notice that the vessels in the retina are narrowed as a consequence of little blood flow. In this case, an ultrasound test of the neck showed that the patient had a carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque. A piece of this plaque probably broke off and flowed downstream until it blocked the central retinal artery. A patient like this should be rechecked in approximately one month to make sure that abnormal vessels do not grow on the iris and cause a severe form of glaucoma. Further educational material can be obtained in the article Central Retinal Artery Occlusion under the heading Information.