Clinical Diagnosis, Classification and Differential Diagnosis in Retinal Artery Occlusion

A retinal artery occlusion is an ophthalmic emergency requiring immediate systemic evaluation because it is a summoner to stroke. Diagnosis is usually prompted by patient’s history and fundus examination. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography are routinely used in clinical evaluation. Retinal artery occlusions are clinically classified as central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), cilioretinal artery occlusion (CLRAO), combined retinal artery and vein occlusion, cotton-wool spots and a newly defined entity paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM).