LOS ANGELES—Patients with retinal infarction appear to be falling through the cracks when it comes to appropriate evaluation for risk for further stroke, according to a recent study by Alexander E. Merkler, MD, assistant professor of neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Brain and Mind Research Institute, New York City. Retinal infarction is a form of stroke that occurs when blood flow is blocked in the arteries of the retina. Painless sudden vision loss, either complete or partial, is a common symptom. Merkler’s study shows that only 8 percent of patients with a retinal infarction are seen by a neurologist even though they're at high risk for an ischemic stroke. Furthermore, only about a third of these patients get brain imaging or receive heart rhythm monitoring, and less than a quarter undergo echocardiography.