What is retinal vein occlusion?

Written by: Mr Praveen Patel
Published: | Updated: 19/04/2023
Edited by: Cal Murphy

While we have all heard of eye conditions like cataracts and glaucoma, one that often escapes attention is retinal vein occlusion. Despite its relative obscurity, it is one of the leading causes of sudden painless loss of sight. Mr Praveen Patel, leading London ophthalmologist, explains more in detail here below. 

What is retinal vein occlusion?

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is when the small veins that carry blood away from the retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye) become blocked. The blockage forces blood and other fluids to drain into the retina, causing bleeding and swelling of the retina (macular oedema). Blockage also a lack of oxygen in the retina (hypoxia). This affects the ability of the retinal cells to receive light and send signals to the brain to create a visual image. Vision tends to become blurry as a result.

 

What are the main causes of retinal vein occlusion?

Retinal vein occlusion is thought to be caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessel walls) of closely associated retinal arteries and/or the formation of a blood clot blocking the small veins that carry blood away from the eye. Various things can influence the development of RVO:

 

 

Can retinal vein occlusion be cured?

While many patients regain vision, it rarely fully recovers, as it is usually impossible to remove the blockage. Treatment is focussed on preventing further bleeding and further RVOs, by managing diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It’s also important to carry out blood tests to rule out other causes of RVO.

 

One of the main ways RVO causes vision loss is through the development of macular oedema (sponge-like thickening or swelling of the retina). Thankfully, there are effective treatments for macular oedema caused by RVO. These treatments are given by eye injections using a local anaesthetic and need to be given on a repeated basis to get the best results. Early treatment of macular oedema is also key as this leads to better improvements in vision.

 

To book a consultation with Mr Praveen Patel, visit his Top Doctors profile today. 

By Mr Praveen Patel
Ophthalmology

Mr Praveen Patel is an internationally-revered and award-winning consultant ophthalmologist based in central LondonSawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire and St Albans. He specialises in macular degeneration (AMD), retinas and retinal vein occlusion alongside diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema and intravitreal injection. He privately practices for Moorfields Private Outpatients Centre, The Rivers Hospital, London Medical and the Eyesight Clinic at the Redbourn Health Centre. He also works for the NHS at the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Mr Patel is passionate about providing cutting-edge treatments for patients on the NHS and privately. He is the lead consultant for medical retina clinical trials and retinal imaging at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the age-related macular degeneration treatment service at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust, in partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital. 

Mr Patel, who has a special interest in cataracts and retinal and macular disease, qualified from Cambridge University in 1997 with a first class degree. This was followed by postgraduate training in Ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.   
 
Mr Patel has an esteemed reputation for excellence in patient care for macular disease, including the use of the injectable medications Lucentis, Eylea and Ozurdex as well as Avastin. Verteporfin photodynamic therapy and advanced macular laser treatments are also incorporated into his skilful practice. His clinical research reflects his expertise to the highest standard; Mr Patel won the Moorfields Research Medal for his work, as one of the lead investigators for the world's first randomised trial of Avastin for age-related macular degeneration, which was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

His research work has also extended to validating new imaging modalities for the assessment of macular disease and he is a clinical research fellow at Moorfields and at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

Mr Patel's work has been published in various peer-reviewed journals and he is an international member of the Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO) and member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM). He is also a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

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