Symptoms of ISCHEMIC OCULOPATHY

Ischemic oculopathy produce loss of vision, pain, amaurosis fugax, and afterimages. Loss of visual acuity is the most frequently encountered symptom, present in more than 90% of affected patients at time of presentation, while 10% of patients had no visual complaints. Patients with OIS can present with variable visual acuities. About one third of patients present with acuities of 20/20 to 20/40, another one third of patients present with acuities of 20/50 to 20/400. The remaining one third of patients present with acuities of counting fingers to light perception. Visual loss occurs gradually, over a period of weeks to months, but also can occur abruptly. About 40% of patients with OIS have pain. The pain has been described as a dull ache over the brow, which begins gradually over a period of hours to days. Neovascular glaucoma and ischemia to the eyeball are the possible mechanisms to account for the pain experienced by most patients. Amaurosis fugax is a transient episode of monocular blindness, or partial blindness, lasting 10 minutes or less. A history of amaurosis fugax is elicited in 9% of patients with OIS. Afterimages are a prolonged recovery of vision after exposure to bright light.