Retinal vascular occlusion treatment

Diagnosis

An examination of the back of the eye is carried out to make a diagnosis. In addition, optical coherence tomography (OCT), a tomographic image of the fundus of the eye, is taken in order to diagnose macular edema. Fluorescein angiography (a dye examination) is used to distinguish ischemic (with oxygen deficiency) from non-ischemic vein occlusion.

Treatment

An important part of treatment is the identification of risk factors and their treatment or optimization.

• If a pure arterial occlusion is present, the primary focus is on clarifying the risk factors, as in the case of a stroke. Regular follow-up checks are then carried out to rule out possible complications. There is no medication for the treatment of retinal artery occlusion. It is usually associated with a permanent change in vision.
• If a vein occlusion is present, clarification of the risk factors is also recommended and is usually carried out by the family doctor.
• Macular edema caused by vein occlusion is treated with a drug (VEGF inhibitor), which is injected into the eye.
• If new vessels form in an ischemic vein occlusion, these are treated with laser therapy.

Prevention

The best way to prevent retinal vascular occlusion is to identify the risk factors and treat them.

Vascular neoplasms with severe myopia

Patients with severe short-sightedness can also exhibit the formation of new blood vessels at the back of the eye at a young age. If these vessels occur, it can lead to swelling of the nerve tissue at the point of sharpest vision (macular edema) or bleeding in the eye. Vision then usually deteriorates quickly. Treatment is usually carried out today with injections into the vitreous body.