Central retinal artery occlusion is when the artery that supplies blood to the retina is blocked. The retina is the layer of cells at the back of the eye that enable the eye to see light and color. These cells send light images to the brain through the optic nerve. The optic nerve connects directly to the brain from the back of the eye. If the central retinal artery is blocked, cells in the retina needed for vision die. A central retinal artery occlusion is a stroke of the retina and usually results in blindness of the affected eye.
Some people have a small extra artery (cilioretinal artery) coming off the central retinal artery and this supplies blood to a key part of the retina. This may cause a loss of
