What is Retinal Vein Occlusion?

Retinal Vein Occlusion is a blockage in the veins that carries blood away from the retina, leading to vision loss. 

What causes this?

Retinal Vein Occlusion can be caused due to blood clots, which can slow down the blood flow, or compress your retinal vein.

Am I at risk?

Retinal Vein Occlusion mainly affects people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and those who age past 55 years.

How can I prevent Retinal Vein Occlusion?

Retinal Vein Occlusion is directly linked to diabetes and can be prevented by:

  • Managing diabetes
  • Managing high blood pressure
  • Keeping cholesterol under control

When do I know I am facing Retinal Vein Occlusion?

You might be facing Retinal Vein Occlusion if you experience symptoms like sudden development of blurry vision, or vision loss in one eye.

Diagnosis and treatment 

Retinal Vein Occlusion can be diagnosed by:

  • Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): You are simply required to look into a lens while a machine takes images of the back of your eye, including your retina and macula. 
  • Fundus Fluorescein Angiography: An image is taken by a fundus camera to see any leakage in the epiretinal membrane.

Treatment options for Retinal Vein Occlusion include:

  • Medications/intravitreal injections: Your eye is injected with medicines into the vitreous, which is a jelly-like fluid near the retina of your eye. 
  • Laser surgery: Laser is used to seal or destroy abnormal blood vessels in the retina.

Types of Retinal Vein Occlusion

  • Central retinal vein occlusion: This type of RVO doesn’t have any symptoms, and refers to the blockage of the main vein in the retina.
  • Branch retinal vein occlusion: This type of RVO may cause redness in the eye, and refers to the blockage of small branch veins in the retina.

Why visit AKIO for Retinal Vein Occlusion?

AK Institute of Ophthalmology uses state-of-the-art technologies and offers several types of treatments for conditions that affect the retina, including:

  • Laser Photocoagulation: This treatment uses a laser to seal or destroy abnormal blood vessels in the retina.
  • Injections: Medications are injected into the eye to treat this condition.