Retinal Vein Occlusion
Retinal vein occlusion (or RVO) is a disease of the retina that affects approximately 180,000 people each year in the US. The retinal veins are an important part of your eye’s normal circulation. A retinal vein occlusion is the blockage of one of these veins.
It is second only to diabetic retinopathy as a cause of visual loss due to retinal vascular disease. Males and females are affected equally. Most occlusions occur after age 50, although younger patients are sometimes seen with this disorder. The highest rate of occurrence is in individuals in their 60’s and 70’s. These disorders are similar to those for vascular occlusive disease elsewhere in the body such as stroke and coronary artery disease. Specifically, aging, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking are all risk factors. It is very important to find out if there is an underlying cause to any vascular occlusive disease.
RVO can lead to swelling or edema of the macula, the part of our eye responsible for central vision and fine detail. This swelling can cause blurry or distorted vision in the affected eye. In some cases, RVO can lead to permanent vision loss. We offer the latest treatments for retinal venous occlusions.
