Retinal Vein OcclusionSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Retinal Vein Occlusion
Retinal vein occlusion is a blockage of the small veins that carry blood away from the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye that converts light images to nerve signals and sends them to the brain.
Central retinal vein occlusion; CRVO; Branch retinal vein occlusion; BRVO; Vision loss - retinal vein occlusion; Blurry vision - retinal vein occlusion
Retinal vein occlusion is most often caused by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and the formation of a blood clot.
Blockage of smaller veins (branch veins or BRVO) in the retina often occurs in places where retinal arteries that have been thickened or hardened by atherosclerosis cross over and place pressure on a retinal vein.
Risk factors for retinal vein occlusion include:
- Atherosclerosis
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Other eye conditions, such as glaucoma, macular edema, or vitreous hemorrhage
The risk of these disorders increases with age, therefore retinal vein occlusion most often affects older people.
Blockage of retinal veins may cause other eye problems, including:
- Glaucoma (high pressure in the eye), caused by new, abnormal blood vessels growing in the front part of the eye
- Macular edema, caused by the leakage of fluid in the retina
Symptoms include sudden blurring or vision loss in all or part of one eye.
Many people will regain vision, even without treatment. However, vision rarely returns to normal. There is no way to reverse or open the blockage.
You may need treatment to prevent another blockage from forming in the same or the other eye.
- It's important to manage diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
- Some people may need to take aspirin or other blood thinners.
Treatment for the complications of retinal vein occlusion may include:
- Focal laser treatment, if macular edema is present.
- Injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs into the eye. These drugs may block the growth of new blood vessels that can cause glaucoma.
- Laser treatment to prevent the growth of new, abnormal blood vessels that leads to glaucoma.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Peter A. Campochiaro, M.D. is the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a clinician-scientist who directs a research laboratory and conducts clinical trials. His laboratory research is directed at understanding the pathogenesis of ocular neovascularization and excessive retinal vascular permeability, and the mechanism of cone cell death in inherited retinal degenerations. He helped to determine the importance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1, and Tie2 in retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. The clinical trial group under Dr. Campochairo provided the first demonstration of the benefits of suppression of VEGF in diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. He has developed strategies for sustained suppression of VEGF that are currently being tested in clinical trials. Dr. Campochiaro trained at the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the University of Virginia. He did a vitreoretinal fellowship and research fellowships at Johns Hopkins and joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1984. He became professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins in 1991. Dr. Campochiaro is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion. His top areas of expertise are Retinal Vein Occlusion, Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Trabeculectomy, and Vitrectomy.
Duke Eye Center
Vision is so intricately related to one's quality of life. Many patients who come to the Duke Eye Center are concerned that they could be going blind, but they rarely ask that question directly. It is important that my patients clearly understand their eye disease process, the risks, benefits and all treatment options so that we can make joint decisions. I try to reassure, when possible, and share the positives, such as 'their eye condition may only affect one eye' or that 'it is possible to improve their vision or prevent further visual loss'. We also discuss how other health problems or lifestyle decisions can affect their visual health. When someone has a vision threatening condition, it is my goal to ensure that they know that, as their physician, I will advise them and guide them through their treatment and the often complicated medical system. I enjoy what I do every day as part of the Duke Health family!. Dr. Fekrat is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion. Her top areas of expertise are Retinal Vein Occlusion, Endophthalmitis, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Vitrectomy, and Cataract Removal.
Allen Ho is an Ophthalmologist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Ho is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion. His top areas of expertise are Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Retinal Vein Occlusion, Vitrectomy, and Cataract Removal. Dr. Ho is currently accepting new patients.
The outcome varies. People with retinal vein occlusion often regain useful vision.
It is important to properly manage conditions such as macular edema and glaucoma. However, having either of these complications is more likely to lead to a poor outcome.
Complications may include:
- Glaucoma
- Partial or complete vision loss in the affected eye
Contact your provider if you have sudden blurring or vision loss.
Retinal vein occlusion is a sign of a general blood vessel (vascular) disease. Measures used to prevent other blood vessel diseases may decrease the risk for retinal vein occlusion.
These measures include:
- Eating a low-fat diet
- Getting regular exercise
- Maintaining an ideal weight
- Not smoking
Aspirin or other blood thinners may help prevent blockages in the other eye.
Controlling diabetes may help prevent retinal vein occlusion.
Summary: In just a few years, intravitreal injections have become a standard method of administration for certain retinal deseases (age-related macular degeneration \[AMD\], diabetic edematous maculopathy or retinal vein occlusion \[RVO\]). Thus, vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) inhibitors are injected repetitively, every 4 to 6 weeks, in some patients in order to treat such pathologies. It i...
Summary: The Farseeing Study will explore long-term effectiveness, safety, and treatment patterns among patients being treated with faricimab in real-world, routine clinical practice in China. It is a primary data collection, non-interventional, prospective and retrospective, multi-center study designed to collect real-world, long-term data to gain clinical evidence on faricimab, by observing cohorts of pa...
Published Date: January 29, 2024
Published By: Audrey Tai, DO, MS, Athena Eye Care, Mission Viejo, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Jeng-Miller KW, Desai SJ, Chen X, Heier JS. Venous occlusive disease of the retina. In: Yanoff M, Duker JS, eds. Ophthalmology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 6.16.