AIM: To investigate the applicationof the optical coherence tomography(OCT)in the central retinal artery occlusion(CRAO)disease, and explore whether is a correlation between inner retinal thickness and visual acuity pre and post treatment.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with central retinal artery occlusion in 11 cases. Patients' onsets to admission time, initial visual acuity, after-treatment visual acuity were collected. Retinal thickness in the macular area was measured with OCT. Retinal mean thickness of fovea, including macular fovea, the 1mm and 3mm up, down of the fovea, nasal and temporal side to the foveal pit, was measured and analyzed. The thickness of inner retinal layer was measured manually. In the inner retinal layer, 1mm nasal and temporal side to the foveal pit, nasal and temporal side was N1, T1 respectively; 3mm nasal and temporal to the foveal pit, nasal and temporal side was N3, T3 respectively.

RESULTS: The visual acuity of 8/11 patients was improved in different degree. The unhealthy eyes macular area and nasal 3mm retinal mean thickness were thicker than the healthy eye(P<0.05). Compared with the healthy eyes, the unhealthy eyes which retinal thickness under others macular area have no statistical difference(P>0.05). The unhealthy eyes were thicker than the healthy at N1, N3 and T3(P<0.05). The different values that thickness in the fovea of healthy and unhealthy eyes had a negative correlation with visual acuity of after treatment, r=-0.740(P<0.05). The different values of N1, T1 and T3 in healthy and unhealthy eyes also had a negative correlation with visual acuity of after treatment, r_N1=-0.692, r_T1=-0.754, r_T3=-0.657(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: OCT examination has suggestive function for the recovery of patients with central retinal artery occlusion of visual acuity after-treatment.