Internal carotid artery obstruction in the elderly with loss of vision

Recently, three consecutive elderly patients were encountered who were referred from the ophthalmology department of four hospitals. Firstly, they presented with decreased visual acuity. On examination, no definite ophthalmic pathology was found, but ophthalmologic ultrasound suggested severe insufficiency of blood supply to the ophthalmic arteries. Further examination revealed that the internal carotid artery, which innervates the ophthalmic artery, was completely occluded. Therefore, the lesion of the internal carotid artery should be the main reason to explain the development of the disease (the secondary reason does not exclude the factor of atherosclerotic stenosis of the ophthalmic arteries in the elderly, and the ultrasonography can have provided reliable information). Therefore, in elderly patients, the carotid artery blood supply should be examined in conjunction with the corresponding organs when there is a decline in visual and auditory function. Unfortunately, the patient on appeal lost the opportunity for surgical treatment due to the progression of the lesion, which resulted in 100% occlusion of the entire internal carotid artery. I consulted with the ophthalmologist in my consultation opinion about the possibility of applying anticoagulation and vasodilator therapy, which are routinely applied in vascular surgery. This is because, in addition to the obvious loss of visual and auditory function, lesions of the internal carotid artery are more dangerous because of the potential risk of stroke and hemiparesis.