Purpose: To evaluate the extent of peripheral retinal nonperfusion in retinal vein occlusion and to determine its effect on the severity of macular edema and response to treatment.
Methods: This prospective clinic-based cohort study included 32 consecutive patients with retinal vein occlusion and refractory macular edema evaluated using spectral domain optical coherence tomography and wide-field fluorescein angiography. Areas of ischemia were calculated as a percentage of the total visible retina (ischemic index), which was evaluated when macular edema was present (foveal central subfield >300 μm) and when edema had resolved (foveal central subfield ≤ 300 μm). Ischemic index was the main outcome measure.
Results: The mean ischemic index at study enrollment was 14.8% and was larger when macular edema was present compared with when edema had resolved (14.8 vs. 10.3%, P < 0.001). Compared with those with less nonperfusion, patients with ischemic index >10% had thicker mean foveal central subfield on optical coherence tomography (520.8 vs. 424.5 μm, P = 0.029) and worse visual acuity (56.3 vs. 59 letters) with the presence of macular edema and experienced greater decrease in optical coherence tomography (296.1 vs. 165.3 μm, P = 0.019) and gain in visual acuity (12.4 vs. 0.9 letters, P = 0.036) in response to treatment.
Conclusion: The area of peripheral retinal nonperfusion is variable in patients with retinal vein occlusion and affects its clinical course and response to treatment.