Abstract
Background/Objectives Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) due to central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) is an incompletely understood, rare and sight-threatening condition with limited treatment options. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the aetiology, treatment and outcomes of CRAO and BRAO in a South Australian cohort.
Methods Patients attending the Central Adelaide Local Health Network between a 12-month period with a new presentation or previous diagnosis of CRAO/BRAO were included. Data were collected on aetiology, treatment, visual acuity outcomes and the development of neovascular glaucoma (NVG).
Results The cohort comprised 80 patients, of whom 55 were diagnosed with CRAO and 25 with BRAO. Aetiology was identified in 21.3% of cases, with vasculitis (10%) and carotid artery thromboembolism (6.3%) being the most common confirmed causes respectively. Median visual acuity at presentation was >6/60 and 6/9 in CRAO and BRAO subgroups respectively. Visual acuity at presentation was the only predictive factor significantly associated with follow-up visual acuity for both CRAO (p = 0.047, coefficient 0.45, 95%CI 0.007–0.884) and BRAO (p < 0.001, coefficient 1.03, 95%CI 0.585 – 1.468). Ten patients with CRAO developed NVG and one patient with BRAO had NVG. No factors associated with the development of NVG after CRAO/BRAO were identified.
Conclusion Visual acuity outcomes for patients with RAO are poor. The only significant predictor of visual acuity prognosis was visual acuity at the time of the initial assessment. A thorough aetiological workup is essential as most cases have no specific aetiology identified.
