Beware of Eye Stroke, Know the Causes and Treatment

Stroke does not only occur in the brain, but can also occur in the eyes. Medically, eye stroke is known as retinal artery occlusion. This condition occurs due to a blockage in the blood vessels in the retina. Find out more about the causes of eye strokes and their treatment. Stroke in the eye occurs when blood vessels in the retina become blocked due to narrowing or blood clots. This makes the blood supply from the heart to the eye and vice versa be reduced. In some cases, the blood vessels in the eyes that are blocked will eventually burst, so that blood will spill onto the surface of the retina resulting in swelling of the retina and blurred vision.

Causes of Eye Stroke

Stroke in the eye can be caused by a blood clot that forms in the retina, or from other organs that flow into the retina. In addition, this blockage can also occur when plaque clogs the retinal blood vessels. Certain diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease and blood disorders, can increase your risk of having an eye stroke. Not only that, there are other factors that can also increase your risk of having an eye stroke, including:

• Above 40 years old.
• Active smoker.
• Using hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills.
• Have had an eye injury.
• Pregnancy
• Suffering from kidney disease.
• Having blood clotting disorders, such as sickle cell anemia.
• Narrowing of the blood vessels of the neck (carotid).
• Heart rhythm disorders.
• Vasculitis, which is inflammation of the walls of blood vessels.

Eye Stroke Symptoms

Generally, eye strokes only occur in one eye only. Symptoms of this disease can appear slowly within a few hours, several days, or can also occur suddenly. The following are some of the symptoms that can occur in an eye stroke:

• A typical symptom of this disease is vision problems that are not accompanied by complaints of pain in the eye. But sometimes pain in the eye can appear.
• Floaters, views such as dizzy or the appearance of white spots on vision.
• Blurred vision continues to deteriorate in part or all of your vision.
• Vision loss can all occur slowly or suddenly.

If you experience these symptoms, consult your ophthalmologist immediately. Without prompt and proper treatment, eye strokes can cause a variety of eye complications, including:

• Macular swelling, which is inflammation of the macula or the middle part of the retina.
• Neovascularization, which is the appearance of abnormal blood vessels in the retina.
• Neovascular glaucoma, the pressure that feels pain due to the formation of new blood vessels.
• Permanent vision loss or blindness.

How is eye stroke diagnosed?

Whatever the cause, symptoms of vision problems that appear suddenly and interfere with daily activities are conditions that need to be examined and treated by a doctor as soon as possible. At the beginning of the examination, the doctor will ask for a medical history that might be the cause of an eye stroke, then do a physical examination of the eye with a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope, and do a pressure examination in the eyeball. In addition, there are several further examinations that will be done to diagnose eye stroke, including:

• Field of View Test

An examination used to test the peripheral or field of vision.

• Eye angiography

Medical procedures use contrast agents that are injected into the bloodstream. Angiography of the eye is done to find out which blood vessels are blocked.

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Imaging tests are used to detect abnormalities that occur inside the retina.

• Slit-lamp

Retinal examination using a special microscope, to find out various complaints or abnormalities in the retina.

Generally, eye strokes are caused by other diseases, so your doctor will recommend that you undergo some additional tests, such as measuring blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, and heart tests.

Treatment for Eye Stroke

Treatment for eye stroke depends on the underlying disease. Some treatments that are generally given by an eye doctor within a few hours after the symptoms of an eye stroke begin to appear, namely:

• Massaging the area around the eyes to widen blood vessels in the retina.
• Providing drugs, such as blood clots destroyers, corticosteroids for the eyes, and drugs to reduce pressure in the eyeball.
• Inhaling a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen to make the blood vessels of the retina dilate.
• Remove some of the search from the eye so that blood flow to the retina returns to normal.
• Laser therapy.
• Provides high-pressure or hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

In addition, other conditions that cause blood clots should also be treated. The sooner the treatment is given, the greater your chance of saving your eyesight.

Prevention of Eye Stroke

Although eye strokes cannot be completely prevented, you can do a number of things to reduce the risk of eye strokes. Some preventative steps you can take:

• Quit smoking.
• Control blood sugar levels, if you are at risk or have diabetes.
• Make sure your blood pressure is always within normal limits.
• Routinely check your cholesterol level. If you are too high on a diet, exercise regularly, and take drugs to help lower cholesterol.
• Maintain ideal body weight.

In addition, medical check-ups and regular eye examinations to the doctor is one of the first steps to avoid the appearance of eye strokes. Medical check-up needs to be done to detect early risks of eye-causing stroke, so that it can be treated immediately before eye complications arise.