To evaluate spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images of acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO).

Six eyes of 6 patients who were diagnosed with acute CRAO were enrolled in the present study. The main SD-OCT measurements included macular thickness in the macular cube map and retinal thickness in the 5-line raster map.

In acute CRAO, macular thickness increased more than that in the normal fellow eye in all cases. SD-OCT images demonstrated increased reflectivity and thickness in the inner retinal layer, especially in the nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer. However, in the outer retinal layer, SD-OCT images disclosed decreased reflectivity and increased thickness. The central subfield thickness area image showed normal reflectivity and thickness. The horizontal cross-sectional image showed relatively the same edema ratio between the inner retinal layer and outer retinal layer thickness. There was no cystoid or serous foveal detachment-type edema.

SD-OCT images of CRAO showed increased outer retinal layer thickness and decreased reflectance as well as increased inner retinal layer thickness and reflectance. However, inner segment and outer segment junctions of the photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial signal were intact.