Posterior Segment
Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion
Also known as: BRAO, branch retinal artery occlusion, sectoral retinal whitening, sudden sectoral field loss, partial retinal artery occlusion
Filed as: Emergency
Source-cited from the record's own evidence list. Clinical content programme led by Dr Ankit Mathur, PhD, Grad Cert Ocu Thera, B.S. Optom. How the clinical content is governed
Clinical decision support only
Overview
Occlusion of a branch of the retinal arterial tree, giving sudden painless loss of a sector of vision rather than of the whole field. Retinal whitening follows the territory supplied and the field defect matches it. It carries the same embolic significance as a central occlusion, so it is handled as acute retinal ischaemia with urgent stroke-pathway assessment, and giant cell arteritis is considered in every patient over 50.
Recognition
Symptoms: what patients report
- Sudden sectoral field loss or blurred vision in one eye.
- Symptoms are usually painless.
- The patient may notice a missing segment of vision rather than complete vision loss.
Signs: what the examination shows
- Sectoral retinal whitening in the territory of a branch artery.
- A focal visual field defect that matches the involved retina.
- RAPD may be present if the event is extensive enough.
What OptoGuide™ covers for branch retinal artery occlusion
- Pattern reasoning: what this combination of findings points to, and its differentiators
- Don't-miss risks and escalation triggers
- Management tiers with linked Australian therapeutics
- Referral urgency, specialty, and letter drafting
Sources
Standard texts: Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach, The Wills Eye Manual, Oxford Handbook of Ophthalmology, Oxford American Handbook of Ophthalmology, Signs in Ophthalmology: Causes & Differential Diagnosis.