Rare Association of Patent Foramen Ovale and Atrial Septal Aneurysm Leading to Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion in a Young Healthy Man

Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) occurs in the elderly population above the age of 60 years due to carotid atherosclerosis as a consequence of long-standing hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and hyperlipidemia. It can also develop due to paradoxical emboli from patent foramen ovale (PFO), which can happen in a relatively younger population. Early diagnosis mandates prompt management; otherwise, it may lead to vision loss. We present a rare case of branch RAO (BRAO) in a healthy young gentleman with concurrent PFO and large atrial septal aneurysm, which has not been reported much in the literature. Our patient presented with sudden left-sided blurriness of vision, which was diagnosed as BRAO on ophthalmoscope examination. Multidisciplinary teams were involved in reaching the underlying etiology of such a presentation in a young, healthy person. Urgent head CT with cerebral angiography and head MRI was unremarkable for any acute insult. The autoimmune screen and thrombophilia workup were unremarkable. After thorough investigations, a small PFO with a large atrial septal aneurysm was found to be correlating with his clinical picture. We aim to highlight the importance of timely diagnosis and further management in such clinical scenarios, where permanent vision loss can compromise someone’s quality of life.