Diagnosis of a Retinal Artery Occlusion

If you experience sudden vision loss, you should contact your ophthalmologist immediately. He or she will conduct a thorough examination to determine if you have had a retinal artery occlusion. Your ophthalmologist will dilate your eyes with dilating eye drops. This will allow him or her to examine the retina for signs of damage.

Other tests your ophthalmologist may do are:

• Fluorescein angiography. This imaging test uses a special camera to take photographs of the retina. A small amount of yellow dye (fluorescein) is injected into a vein in your arm. The photographs of fluorescein dye traveling throughout the retinal arteries show how many arteries are closed;
• Intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye);
• Reflexes of your pupil;
• Other photos of the retina;
• A slit-lamp examination;
• Testing of side vision (visual field examination); and
• Visual acuity (sharpeness), to determine how well you can read an eye chart.