OCULAR HEMODYNAMIC-CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH HIGH-GRADE CAROTID OCCLUSIVE DISEASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC OCULAR ISCHEMIA .2. CLINICAL FINDINGS

Ocular changes due to chronic ischaemia are described in 45 patients w ith hemodynamically significant carotid occlusive disease. Regarding t he ophthalmic artery flow before and after vasodilatory stimulus, the patients were divided into four different groups. Eyes with permanent anterograde ophthalmic artery flow had evidence of embolic features, b ut no signs of chronic hypoperfusion. In the group where anterograde o phthalmic artery now changed to retrograde after 1 g intravenous aceta zolamide, the patients had symptoms of critical ocular perfusion, but only subtle structural changes could be demonstrated. Chronic ocular i schaemic syndromes were found in the cases with retrograde ophthalmic artery how especially where bilateral severe carotid obstruction was p resent.