Fundus changes in central retinal vein occlusion.

Abstract

To investigate systematically the retinal and optic disk changes in central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and their natural history. This study comprised 562 consecutive patients with CRVO (492 nonischemic [NI-CRVO] and 89 ischemic CRVO [I-CRVO] eyes) seen within 3 months of onset. Ophthalmic evaluation at initial and follow-up visits included recording visual acuity, visual fields, and detailed anterior segment and fundus examinations and fluorescein fundus angiography. Retinal and subinternal limiting membrane hemorrhages and optic disk edema in I-CRVO were initially more marked (P < 0.0001) and took longer to resolve (P < 0.015) than that in NI-CRVO. Initially, macular edema was more marked in I-CRVO than that in NI-CRVO (P < 0.0001) but did not significantly differ in resolution time (P = 0.238). Macular retinal epithelial pigment degeneration, serous macular detachment, and retinal perivenous sheathing developed at a higher rate in I-CRVO than that in NI-CRVO (P < 0.0001). Ischemic CRVO had more retinal venous engorgement than NI-CRVO (P = 0.003). Fluorescein fundus angiography showed significantly more fluorescein leakage, retinal capillary dilatation, capillary obliteration, and broken capillary foveal arcade (P < 0.0001) in I-CRVO than NI-CRVO. Resolution time of CRVO was longer for I-CRVO than NI-CRVO (P < 0.0001). Characteristics and natural history of fundus findings in the two types of CRVO are different.