Iatrogenic ocular vascular occlusions: case reports

Report of two patients with severe loss of visual acuity after surgery in the head and neck area. Ophthalmic examination and imaging studies demonstrate an occlusion of the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries. In both cases, the underlying physiopathology is the embolisation by an intra-operatively injected substance. Embolisation is thought to occur via anastomosing branches between the external and internal carotid arteries. These cases demonstrate that surgery in head and neck area can result in unexpected and devastating ocular complications.