Vascular pathology of the vision organ is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss. Ocular ischemic syndrome is a serious condition that requires special attention to prevent adverse effects and outcomes. Today, this syndrome mainly occurs in the form of ischemic optic neuropathy and chronic ischemic retinopathy, which are based on damage caused by impaired perfusion in the pool of the ophthalmic artery. According to the data presented in foreign and domestic literature, there is an correlation between the ocular ischemic syndrome and the pathology of the cardiovascular system. Often, this pathology is accompanied by such diseases as: coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. A number of studies have shown that an important risk factor for the development of vascular eye's pathology is the combination of coronary heart disease with elevated total blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis in combination with arterial hypertension. Also, there are data indicating the association of the risk of ischemic opticopathy with the presence of cardiovascular diseases in patients, and vice versa, previously transferred opticopathy can be considered as predictors of cardiovascular pathology. Thus, prevention and treatment of this pathology is an interdisciplinary problem. The classical approach in the treatment of ocular ischemic syndrome today remains conservative therapy, which aims to reduce local ischemia and the effects of hypoxia. However, conservative treatment does not eliminate the main reason for the development of this condition; therefore, the search continues for new, more effective methods of preventing and treating this pathology. In recent years, data on high clinical efficacy in the treatment and prevention of ocular ischemic syndrome manifestations have appeared in the literature after surgery to restore the main blood flow at the level of the brachiocephalic arteries. A variety of cardiovascular diseases and various levels of its damage determine the approach to the treatment of this pathology. This literature review is devoted to the analysis of the causes of ocular ischemic syndrome, depending on the level of localization of the lesion of the cardiovascular system. © 2020 Ophthalmology Publishing Group. All rights reserved.