Central retinal artery obstruction and visual acuity.

The records of 72 patients (73 eyes) with acute central retinal arterial obstruction (CRAO) were reviewed. Three eyes (4%) were initially observed to have no light perception vision. However, two of these three were found to have concomitant posterior ciliary circulation defects on fluorescein angiography, and the third had electroretinographic evidence of both outer and inner retinal damage. Previous studies have indicated that a much higher percentage of patients with CRAO present with NLP vision. From the data presented it is the feeling of the authors that cases with obstruction of the central retinal artery alone and NLP acuity in the involved eye are most unusual. If true NLP vision is present, additional complicating factors should be suspected, particularly abnormalities of the choroidal circulation and the optic nerve.