BRAO - Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion

[bearfx]

So I woke up Friday barely able to see through my Right Eye. I went in the bathroom and rinsed and rubbed my eye... It seemed to help some, but the problem was still there. I was unable to see clearly enough to look up numbers so I was stuck dialing from my speeddial - so I contacted my PCP (turned out he is on vacation) and my hemotologist. My hemotologist had me go to the ER, where they did not do anything except give me a referral to an opthamologist who would see me immidiately. The opthamologist determined that I had an arterial occlusion in my right eye. Since my vision had been returning throughout the day (it was a number of hours to reach this point), he said that the prognosis was good that I would recover most sight, and he referred my to another place specializing in retina disorders. I will be going in tomorrow for an angiogram and whatever other diagnostic tests they deem necessary.

Does anyone else have experience with BRAO? In my research, I have found several sites indicating that BRAO's indicate other systemic diseases, but I cannot find what other diseases. I know the high blood pressure can cause them, but my BP was only 120/70 when I was at the ER.

I am a 28yo male, who exercises regularly. I jog and lift weights three times a week. The only other disease I have is a rare blood disorder called Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), a condition where the immune system attacked platelets.

Any information or advice would be appreciated. I am holding off on any exercise (or anything that could raise my BP) until whichever doctor I end up with tells me it's OK... I do not want to risk another clot being forced into my retinal ateries, or someplace worse.

 

[guest username]

Were you exhibiting any other symptoms prior to this? Headaches, jaw claudication, rashes, fevers, spots on your fingers/palms, or anything else?

 

[bearfx]

No, their were no indications that anything was wrong. My platelet count was low, but OK. I had been to the doctor just a couple of days prior for a CBC... I just woke up, and couldn;t see out of my eye (it wasn;t until later, however, that i relized only one eye was affected)

Probably the scariest thing (to me) is that I woke up when My alarm went off in the morning (7-8am), walked into bathroom and rinsed my eyes, then to the living room and scrounged for my phone, and from their I have no memory until around 1, when I started placing the needed calls. Their are several hours that I have no recollection of. I cannot see myself going back to sleep with this happening, I think this scares me more than the eye.

I have had an echocardiogram and Ultrasound of the carotid in an attempt to find the clot source. Additionally, they took a round dozen vials of blood from me the following monday testing for a number of rare diseases (If I have one, why not a few extra). I also have a head CT looking for evidence of Transient Ischemic Attack's (ministrokes).

I am currently taking Danazol 800mg/day and an occasional benadryl. I have received multiple WinRHO, IvIG treatments in the past 6 months, and finished a four-dose round of Rituxan at the end of april. I will be starting another round of rituxan shortly.

No headaches, rashes, fevers, or unusual spots anywhere. No jaw claudication, or any muscular/skeletal problems with the jaw.

The angiogram of the eye showed no signifigant damage. 95% of vision has been regained. Now we are on a hunt for the source, so that it won't happen again. The reports for the echo and the sono, as well as the lab work, should have made it to my PCP by now. It something urgent was in them, I would have been called.

Right now, only my twice-weekly CDC and the head CT are pending.

On one hand, I hope they find nothing, I would love for their to be nothing to find, but a part of me is going to wonder endlessly was their something that was missed, a little clot producer just waiting for a broadway opening...