BRAO

This stands for Branch Retina Artery Occlusion. This is a blockage of a retinal artery in the back of the eye. The retina is very sensitive tissue. Without a constant supply of blood and oxygen from the retinal arteries, it quickly starves and dies. The cause of an arterial artery blockage can sometimes be seen (often a cholesterol plaque) during an exam. Unfortunately, there is little to be done other than evaluating embolic risk factors with heart and carotid scans. Retina specialists may perform a fluorescein angiogram to determine the site and extent of perfusion loss.