Optical coherence tomogram and demographic profile in central retinal artery occlusion: A South Indian study

Aim: To describe the demographic profile and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight patients with CRAO who presented to Vitreo Retina Department at Minto Ophthalmic Hospital between January 2009 and December 2013 were studied. All the patients underwent detailed ophthalmic examination including OCT and routine laboratory investigations. All patients were subjected to cardiac evaluation. Results: In our study, 27 (71%) were males and 11 (29%) were females. The average age of our patients was 44.8 years (range 25-65 years). Seven patients had diabetes, and six had hypertension. Seven (18%) patients had CRAO with sparing of the cilioretinal artery. History of smoking was present in 15 (56%) of males with an average duration of 16.9 years. OCT showed average central macular thickness of 288.2 mm in acute stage and 163.75 mm in chronic stage. Conclusion: CRAO had varying etiologies but had similar clinical findings and OCT features. In our study, smoking was found to be the most common association in males. CRAO was also seen in younger age groups too. In all cases, OCT in acute stage shows increased reflectivity of inner retina and a hyporeflective band and in chronic stage thinning of sensory retinal layer. OCT findings were similar irrespective of the etiology.