Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;259(7):1853-1858.
doi: 10.1007/s00417-020-05068-x. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

Retinal venous pressure is decreased after anti-VEGF therapy in patients with retinal vein occlusion-related macular edema

Teruyo Kida  1 , Josef Flammer  2 , Katarzyna Konieczka  2 , Tsunehiko Ikeda  3
Affiliations

Retinal venous pressure is decreased after anti-VEGF therapy in patients with retinal vein occlusion-related macular edema

Teruyo Kida et al. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: The pathomechanism leading to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is unclear. Mechanical compression, thrombosis, and functional contractions of veins are discussed as the reasons for the increased resistance of venous outflow. We evaluated changes in the retinal venous pressure (RVP) following intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent to determine the effect on RVO-related macular edema.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with RVO-related macular edema (16 branch RVOs [BRVOs] and 10 central RVOs [CRVOs], age 72.5 ± 8.8 years) who visited our hospital were included in this prospective study. Visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), central retinal thickness (CRT) determined by macular optical coherence tomography, and RVP measured using an ophthalmodynamometer were obtained before intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (IVR) and 1 month later.

Results: Comparison of the BRVOs and CRVOs showed that VA was significantly improved by a single injection in BRVOs (P < 0.0001; P = 0.1087 for CRVOs), but CRT and RVP were significantly decreased without significant difference in IOP after the treatment in both groups (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The anti-VEGF treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the RVP, but the RVP remained significantly higher than the IOP. An increased RVP plays a decisive role in the formation of macula edema, and reducing it is desirable.

Keywords: Anti-VEGF; Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO); Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO); Macular edema; Ophthalmodynamometer; Retinal venous pressure (RVP).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Changes in central retinal thickness (CRT) before and after treatment. The mean CRT was significantly decreased after treatment (*P < 0.0001, paired t test)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Changes in retinal venous pressure (RVP) before and after treatment. The mean RVP was significantly decreased after treatment (*P < 0.0001, paired t test)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jaulim A, Ahmed B, Khanam T, Chatziralli IP. Branch retinal vein occlusion: epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, and complications. An update of the literature. Retina. 2013;33:901–910. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0b013e3182870c15. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hayreh SS, Podhajsky PA, Zimmerman MB (2011) Natural history of visual outcome in central retinal vein occlusion. Ophthalmology 118: 119-133.e111-112 10.1016/j.ophtha.2010.04.019 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clemett RS. Retinal branch vein occlusion. Br J Ophthalmol. 1974;58:548–554. doi: 10.1136/bjo.58.5.548. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Morley MG HJ (2009) Venous obstructive disease of the retina. In: Yanoff M, Duker JS (eds). Ophthalmology. 3rd edition. Mosby Elsevier, pp 597-605
    1. Cheung N, Klein R, Wang JJ, Cotch MF, Islam AF, Klein BE, Cushman M, Wong TY. Traditional and novel cardiovascular risk factors for retinal vein occlusion: the multiethnic study of atherosclerosis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:4297–4302. doi: 10.1167/iovs.08-1826. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources