Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a disease of the eye where the flow of blood through the central retinal artery is blocked (occluded). There are several different causes of this occlusion; the most common is carotid artery atherosclerosis. Signs and symptoms
Central retinal artery occlusion is characterized by painless, acute vision loss in one eye. Upon fundoscopic exam, one would expect to find: cherry-red spot  (90%) (a morphologic description in which the normally red background of the choroid is sharply outlined by the swollen opaque retina in the central retina), retinal opacity in the posterior pole (58%), pallor (39%), retinal arterial attenuation (32%), and optic disk edema (22%). During later stages of onset, one may also find plaques, emboli, and optic atrophy. Diagnosis
One diagnostic method for the confirmation of CRAO is Fluorescein angiography, it is used to examine the retinal artery filling time after the fluorescein dye is injected into the peripheral venous system. In an eye with CRAO some branches of the retinal artery may not fill or the time it takes for the branches of the retinal artery to fill will be increased, which is visualized by the leading edge of the fluorescein moving slower than normal through the retinal artery branches to the edges of the retina. Fluorescein angiography can also be used to determine the extent of the occlusion as well as classify it into one of four types non-arteritic CRAO, non-arteritic CRAO with cilioretinal artery sparing, transient non-arteritic CRAO and arteritic CRAO.
Four out of five cases occur on the legs, although historically the face was a more frequent site.Risk factors for developing the disease include
Arteriovenous fistula
Chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis, athletes foot, and eczema
Excising the saphenous vein
Immune deficiency or compromise, such as
Diabetes
Alcoholism
Obesity
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
In newborns, exposure of the umbilical cord and vaccination site injury
Issues in lymph or blood circulation
Leg ulcers
Lymphatic edema
Lymphatic obstruction
Lymphoedema
Nasopharyngeal infection
Nephrotic syndrome
Pregnancy
Previous episode(s) of erysipelas
Toe web intertrigo
Traumatic wounds
Venous insufficiency or disease

Preventative measures
Individuals can take preventative steps to increase the chance they do not catch the disease. Properly cleaning and covering wounds is important for people battling an open wound. Effectively treating athletes foot or eczema if they were the cause for the initial infection will decrease the chance of the infection occurring again. People with diabetes should pay attention to maintaining good foot hygiene. It is also important to follow up with doctors to make sure the disease has not come back or spread. About one-third of people who have had erysipelas will be infected again within three years. Rigorous antibiotics may be needed in the case of recurrent bacterial skin infections. Notable cases
History
It was historically known as St. Anthonys fire. Citations


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