Impending central retinal vein occlusion associated with cilioretinal artery obstruction

We report a case of a patient with an impending central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with cilioretinal artery obstruction, which may help to understand the nature of the retinal hemodynamic changes associated with CRVO which shows direct evidence of arterial vasospasm, suggesting an increased contractility of retinal arteries. The clinical course, with initial retinal whitening along a cilioretinal artery followed by signs of venous stasis, seems to confirm the pathogenesis hypothesis concerning a primary arterial affection due to arterial vasospasm.