Clinical Course of Young Adults With Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical course of young patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). METHODS: We reviewed the records of patients 50 years or younger who presented with CRVO and who were followed up for at least 6 months. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 37.7 years, and the mean follow-up time was 26.3 months. Participants included 27 patients with CRVO younger than 50 years among the total 393 patients with CRVO, and the sex distribution was nearly equal; 13 patients were male and 14 patients were female. Associated systemic diseases were hypertension (8 patients), diabetes (3 patients), stroke (3 patients), and myocardial infarction (1 patient). Of the 17 patients who had no systemic disease, 8 patients had hypercholesterolemia or another hematologic abnormalities. Of the 18 eyes with non-ischemic CRVO, 10 eyes (55.6%) showed improved final visual acuities (2 or more lines). Of the 9 eyes with ischemic CRVO, only 1 eye (11.1%) showed improved visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: Hematological examination and treatment with systemic evaluation were recommended to younger patients with CRVO. The classification of retinal ischemia of young patients as well as that of older patients could be useful for the follow-up of patients and the assessment of its progression in the future.