Abstract
Purpose: :
to verify the efficacy after one year of follow up of laser treatment on visual acuity in patients with central (CRVO) and branch vein retinal occlusion (BRVO) in the presence of macular edema
Methods: :
117 eyes of patients with CRVO or BRVO of with macular involvement were examined. They underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and fluorangiography (FA) of the macular area and of the retinal periphery. Based on FA the indications for laser treatment were the presence of peripheral ischemic areas involving more than 10% of the total retinal surface or of evident macular edema with residual visual acuity < 12/20 or presence of cystoid macular edema. Of a total sum of 117, 28 eyes (21 macular grid laser therapy) with CRVO and 35 (19 macular grid laser therapy) with BRVO underwent laser therapy.
Results: :
CRVO laser treated eyes (p= 0.03) and BRVO non laser treated eyes (p=0.02) improved visual acuity in a year. No significant difference in visual acuity between CRVO laser and non laser treated cases and in BRVO after laser treatment were noted.
Conclusions: :
An indication for laser therapy must always be confirmed by the presence of fluorangiographically evident ischemic areas or by significant macular edema, and that a poor long–term functional prognosis is always related to more severe macular damage at the onset.
Keywords: vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease • laser • visual acuity