Successfully treated hemi-central retinal artery occlusion following cardiac catheterization; case report

Here we report a case of a middle-aged man who complained of blurred vision in his left eye 1 h post cardiac catheterization and proved to have central retinal artery occlusion, a dangerous but potentially treatable sight-threatening complication of cardiac-catheterization. The patient was successfully treated through an Ophthalmological surgical intervention. A 49- year-old male patient admitted to the coronary care unit as a case of non-ST-elevation-myocardial infarction. The patient underwent cardiac catheterization and stenting of the right coronary artery. One hour later, he complained of blurred vision in his left eye. Ophthalmological examination showed an inferior visual field defect in the left eye. Fundus fluorescein angiography revealed that the patient had a hemi-central retinal artery occlusion, a rare complication of cardiac catheterization. A pars plana vitrectomy eye surgery was performed with an excellent result. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and treatment of central retinal artery occlusion post cardiac catheterization •Rarely, central retinal occlusion can complicate cardiac catheterization.•Meaningful spontaneous recovery in vision in cases of central retinal artery occlusion occurs in less than 10%.•What is peculiar about our case is that prompt surgical intervention resulted in an unexpectedly excellent result.•The case highlights the need for prompt diagnosis and referral of patients with visual symptoms post cardiac catheterization.