Central retinal vein occlusion

The central retinal vein is the venous equivalent of the central retinal artery and, like that blood vessel, it can suffer from occlusion (central retinal vein occlusion, also CRVO[1]), similar to that seen in ocular ischemic syndrome. Since the central retinal artery and vein are the sole source of blood supply and drainage for the retina, such occlusion can lead to severe damage to the retina and blindness, due to ischemia (restriction in blood supply) and edema (swelling).[2]

Central retinal vein occlusion
Diagram of the eye; retinal vein is number 21.
SpecialtyOphthalmology 

It can also cause glaucoma.

Nonischemic CRVO is the milder form of the disease. It may progress to the more severe ischemic type.[3]

Treatment

Treatment consists of Anti-VEGF drugs like Lucentis or intravitreal steroid implant (Ozurdex) and Pan-Retinal Laser Photocoagulation usually. Underlying conditions also require treatment. Non-Ischemic CRVO has better visual prognosis than Ischemic CRVO.

A systematic review studied the effectiveness of the anti-VEGF drugs ranibizumab and pagatanib sodium for patients suffering from non-ischemic CRVO.[4] Though there was a limited sample size, participants in both treatment groups showed improved visual acuity over 6 month periods, with no safety concerns.[4]

See also

References
  1. Ophthalmology at a Glance, Jane Olver & Lorraine Cassidy, Blackwell Science 2005.
  2. Hayreh, Sohan Singh; Zimmerman, M. Bridget; Podhajsky, Patricia (1994). "Incidence of Various Types of Retinal Vein Occlusion and Their Recurrence and Demographic Characteristics". American Journal of Ophthalmology. 117 (4): 429–41. doi:10.1016/S0002-9394(14)70001-7. PMID 8154523.
  3. Central Retinal Vein Occlusion at eMedicine
  4. Braithwaite T, Nanji AA, Lindsley K, Greenberg PB (2014). "Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for macular oedema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion". Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 5: CD007325. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007325.pub3. PMC 4292843. PMID 24788977.
Classification
External resources
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