What is Vein Occlusion?

The light-sensitive tissue in your eye is called the retina. It gives us the ability to see because it is made up of nerve cells that detect light. Normally, these nerve cells get nutrients from your arteries and dump waste into your veins. But if a vein is blocked, it cannot carry blood away from the retina. Instead, fluid leaks out of the vein. This is called a vein occlusion.

Causes & Risk Factors:

Retinal veins are very narrow. If a large clot tries to pass through, it can block the vein, causing vein occlusion.

The risk of vein occlusion is higher for those with:

  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol levels
  • Health problems that affect blood flow

Vein occlusion nearly always happens in one eye. The symptoms are:

  • Blurry vision that gets worse in a few hours or days
  • Sudden loss of vision

The treatments for Vein Occlusion are

However, there is no way to remove the clot from the veins. Treatment can only be used to control problems caused by the clot.

Can I lose vision from a retinal vein occlusion?

Yes. A blocked vein in the retina can cause many problems in the eye like:

Macular edema:

When the vein is blocked, it may leak fluid around the retina. The center of the retina is called the macula. If blood leaks around the macula, it can cause swelling. This causes blurred vision or vision loss.

Neovascularization:

To make up for the blocked veins, the eye may start to grow new, abnormal blood vessels. These may also leak fluid into the eye. In some cases, the new vessels may also pull on the retina and separate it from the back of the eye.

Glaucoma:

When new blood vessels grow in the eye, they increase the pressure. Too much pressure can damage the optic nerve. This is called glaucoma

How well will my eyes recover after treatment?

This varies from person to person. Over time, about 2/3 of patients will regain at least some vision (1/3 will rapidly improve, while the other 1/3 will improve more gradually). For the best outcomes, all patients should follow their treatment plan. Follow-up visits with your eye doctor should be made once a year. Your general physician should also be informed of any blood clots in the eyes.

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