RESUMO
Retinal vein occlusion is an important event and carries considerable morbidity in terms of visual upset and long term consequences. Influence of geographical, ethnic and associated systemic disorders in the pathogenesis of retinal venous obstruction is not well understood and remains controversial. 48 cases of retinal vein occlusion were retrospectively studied in Salmaniya Medical Centre to find out the underlying medical conditions and influence of ethnic components of Bahraini society. The disease was found to occur at a younger age here as compared to the White European population. Incidence of diabetes mellitus was noted to be high in this study. Both central as well as branch retinal vein occlusions were common in Bahrainis but branch retinal vein occlusions were more prevalent in Indians and Pakistanis. Ocular morbidity was caused more often by central retinal vein obstruction. Further prospective studies are suggested to understand better the unusual characteristics of this disease in this part of the world so as to formulate appropriate plans for its management