Abstract
Purpose :
Previous studies have shown that the retinal oxygen saturation at referral has no predictive value for visual outcome after twelve months in patients with central retinal vein occlusion treated with anti-VEGF compound. It is of interest to evaluate whether this conclusion is similar in patients with venous occlusions only involving a part of the retina in whom the epidemiological background, complication pattern and visual prognosis is different.
Methods :
The association between oxygen saturation, visual acuity and central retinal thickness was studied at the time of referral and after six and twelve months in 111 patients successively referred to the Department of Ophthalmology, Aarhus University Hospital, between February 2017 and August 2019 with a newly diagnosed venous occlusion affecting branches peripheral from the central retinal venule.
Results :
Sixty-seven patients with a visual acuity between 35 and 60 ETDRS letters at referral were treated with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF compound. The venous oxygen saturation improved in parallel central retinal thickness and visual acuity over twelve months but had no predictive value for visual acuity after twelve months. In twelve untreated patients with better visual acuity, low age and high oxygen saturation at the time of referral were positive predictors for the visual outcome after twelve months.
Conclusions :
Oxygen saturation, visual acuity and central retinal thickness improves in parallel during treatment of branch retinal vein occlusion with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF compound. Retinal oximetry has no value for predicting visual acuity after twelve months in treated patients but may potentially become a tool for predicting the visual prognosis in untreated patients with a high visual acuity at referral.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.