Eye strokes: diagnosis, treatment and outlook
Eye strokes: diagnosis, treatment and outlook
Strokes don’t only occur in the brain – they can also happen in your eyes. A blockage in the eye can affect your retina, preventing it from receiving the supply of blood and nutrients it needs in order to function. We have covered the causes, symptoms, and risk factors of eye strokes in a previous blog post. This is part two in our eye stroke blog series where we’ll look into diagnosis of eye strokes, along with potential treatment options, and what the prognosis is.
How is an eye stroke diagnosed?
An eye stroke will typically be diagnosed with a physical examination of the eye using an ophthalmoscope. This allows the inside of your eye to be looked at in detail to reveal any issues or blockages that may have occurred there. You will likely have dilation eye drops administered so your optic nerve and retina can be examined closely. A fluorescein angiography is another test which can also help diagnose an eye stroke. Dye is injected into your bloodstream to show your retina’s veins and arteries more clearly, highlighting any potential blockages. A camera is used to take pictures of the retina, and these pictures can then be used for the diagnosis.
In addition to the inside of your eye being checked at your diagnosis appointment, you will also have your vision checked by being asked to read eye charts. An eye test can reveal underlying conditions like high blood pressure, glaucoma and diabetes, so attending regular checks with your optician, whether or not you have visual symptoms, is absolutely vital.
Eye stroke treatment
As with most eye conditions, the sooner you seek treatment for an eye stroke, the greater the chance of saving your sight. The most common treatments available for eye strokes include medication to dissolve clots and blockages in the eye, inhalable gas to widen the retina’s arteries, and a medical procedure which moves the clot away from the retina.
Other potential treatments for an eye stroke include:
- Clot-dissolving medication
- Endothelial growth-factor medication
- Corticosteroids
- Laser treatment to close leaking blood vessels
- Massaging the eye area to open up the retina
- Medication to reduce eye pressure
The treatment you receive will depend on the severity of the eye stroke you have experienced, and on your overall health and other conditions you may suffer with.
Eye stroke prognosis and outlook
Eye strokes can affect different parts of your eye depending on whether they occur in an artery or a vein, and whether these are branch or central veins or arteries. Strokes which affect your central veins and arteries are typically more serious and tend to have a greater impact on your vision than strokes in the branch veins and arteries will. With prompt treatment, vision can often be recovered. However, in severe cases, eye strokes can cause blindness or a permanent loss of some level of vision.
Research shows that 64% of people who had an eye stroke discovered they had an undiagnosed heart disease risk factor afterwards, the most common of these being high cholesterol. Often, an eye stroke is an indication of cardiovascular issues.
Preventing eye stroke
Having an eye stroke does indicate that your risk of having a brain stroke in the future is higher, so it’s important that you attempt to reduce your risk factors for a brain stroke, if you have already had an eye stroke. You can take steps to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, which includes exercising and eating a healthy, balanced diet. You should also monitor your blood sugar levels, quit smoking and reduce your alcohol intake, as these are all factors which make you more likely to experience a stroke.
You should visit your doctor regularly following an eye stroke in order for them to monitor your health and to assess your vision. You should also carefully note changes to your vision and seek medical advice if you do notice any changes, no matter how long after your stroke has occurred. Even if you haven’t had an eye stroke, monitoring your vision and having regular eye checks is crucial as even routine eye tests can provide indications of a number of other conditions, particularly heart disease.
More Optimax blog posts related to this topic:
Eye stroke: Symptoms, risk factors and treatment
What visual problems can you develop after having a stroke?
