Retinal Vein Occlusion(RVO)
When a vein in the retina becomes blocked, it’s called retinal vein occlusion.
This can give you blurry vision or even sudden permanent blindness in
that eye. It’s similar to retinal artery occlusion, which is sometimes called an
eye stroke.
The damage happens when a blocked vein keeps blood from draining from
the retina. That raises pressure inside your eye, which can cause bleeding, swelling, and fluid leaks. Retinal vein occlusion can harm your eye in minutes.
If you have Diabetes, High blood pressure, and other conditions that affect
the blood vessels, you’re more likely to have retinal vein occlusion.
Other things also can raise your odds for the condition:
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Homocystinuria
- Older age
- Atherosclerosis
- Glaucoma
Symptoms
- Blurry or missing vision in part or all of an eye
- Dark spots or lines floating in your vision
- Pain and pressure in the eye
Diagnosis
- After dilating your pupil, thorough examination by a retina specialist.
- Your doctor may also order a test called a fluorescein angiography
(FFA). You’ll get a harmless dye injected into your arm. When it travels
through your bloodstream and reaches the retina, a special camera
takes pictures of your eye. Your doctor will be able see any fluid leaks
or any non perfused areas around your blood vessels. - Sometimes, you may also need a test called optical coherence tomography (OCT). You’ll get drops to dilate your pupils, and a machine scans your eyes with rays of light to make a detailed image of your retina, helpful to measure thickness of the retina.
Treatment
Injections. A drug called anti-vascular endothelial growth factor targets
substances that cause fluid buildup in a part of your retina called the macula,
which helps you see details clearly. This helps to ease swelling. Or your
doctor may give you steroid injections in your eye instead. These injections
are given in an operation theatre after instilling topical anesthetic agents.
Grid laser therapy. A laser burns and seals off blood vessels near the macula.
This keeps them from leaking. The retina does not have pain nerves, so you
should not feel much discomfort
Sectoral laser therapy. You may need this if new blood vessels grow in your
eye. Your doctor will use a laser to make tiny burns on the retina. It stops the
vessels from leaking and growing.