The Retina Reference

Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion without Macular Edema

These are images from a 69 year-old woman, referred for evaluation of a branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in the left eye. A color fundus photograph (frame A) shows a BRVO superior temporal to the macula (black circle). The green arrows indicate an area of hemorrhage, with the blue arrow indicating a cotton wool spot superior to the macula. A line scan from an SD-OCT study (frame B) shows one paracentral cyst (yellow arrow) but no edema involving the fovea. No treatment was recommended because the patient was asymptomatic with 20/20 visual acuity in this eye. Metabolic control was stressed with the patient including cessation of smoking and control of blood pressure and serum lipids.