Intra-Arterial Thrombolytic Therapy Is Not a Therapeutic Option for Filler-Related Central Retinal Artery Occlusion

Cosmetic facial filler-related central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a devastating complication of facial hyaluronic acid (HA) injection and can be managed by intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy (IATT). The authors report on a 20-year-old woman who developed unilateral CRAO due to facial HA injection and who, despite prompt IATT, lost vision. A review of the related literature found 14 other female patients who developed cosmetic facial filler-related CRAO and accepted IATT management. In no case was vision loss clinically improved. IATT is not an effective preventive treatment of dermal filler-associated CRAO. The authors suggest careful preprocedural patient selection to prevent this complication.