Abstract
Purpose: :
: Retinal vein occlusions (RVO) are common occurrences in elderly patients but not in young patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of RVO in young patients.
Methods: :
We reviewed the medical records of patients younger than 40-years-of-age who were diagnosed with RVO at the ophthalmological clinic of Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital from January 1995 to October 2005. We analyzed the age at onset, gender, type of occlusion (central or branch), initial visual acuity, and prognosis.
Results: :
Thirty-three eyes of 30 patients (16 men, 14 women) were studied. The youngest patient with a CRVO was 16 yo and the youngest with a BRVO was 22 yo. The ratio of BRVO to CRVO increased with an increase in the age at onset. The initial visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 22 eyes, and the final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 27 eyes. In two eyes, neovascular glaucoma developed even with panretinal photocoagulation, and these 2 eyes ended up with no light perception.
Conclusions: :
The initial visual acuity and the prognosis of RVO in young patients is relatively good compared with elderly patients. This difference may be caused by a difference in the mechanism of RVO. But even with young patients, neovascular glaucoma can develop.
Keywords: retina • retinal neovascularization • retinal pigment epithelium