[Ophthamologic pathology in non-specific aortoarteritis].

Nonspecific aortoarteritis is a systemic autoimmune disease eventuating in gradual stenosis of the aorta and the main vessels with ischemia of the respective organs. Ophthalmologic symptoms have been examined in 54 patients with nonspecific aortoarteritis. Subjective disorders of vision (short-term binocular blindness, metamorphopsia, pain behind the eye, amaurosis fugax) have been detected in 52% of the examinees. Organic lesions of the eye have been diagnosed in 60% of the patients: hypertensive angiopathy (22%), venous stasis retinopathy (17%), occlusion of the central retinal artery (1%), etc. Three possible mechanisms of the development of ocular symptoms have been established: (1) a result of symptomatic hypertension, (2) chronic ocular ischemia, (3) acute hemodynamic ocular circulation insufficiency.