Structural Changes in Retinal Vein Occlusion: Implications for Functional Outcomes and Visual Field Deficits

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Vascular Diseases
• Visual Neuroscience

Background:

• Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) can cause significant visual impairment.
• Understanding the link between structural retinal damage and visual field (VF) deficits is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between structural retinal changes and functional VF deficits in BRVO patients.
• To identify potential imaging biomarkers for predicting visual impairment in BRVO.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 34 unilateral BRVO patients.
• Ophthalmic examinations included visual acuity, IOP, OCT, OCT-A, and fundus photography.
• Retinal alterations and VF defects were assessed; logistic regression analyzed associations.

Main Results:

• 26.5% of patients had VF defects.
• Retinal atrophy and neovascularization were more common in patients with VF defects.
• No statistically significant predictors were identified in univariate or multivariate analyses, though trends were observed.

Conclusions:

• Structural retinal changes (atrophy, neovascularization) are associated with VF defects in BRVO.
• Comprehensive functional assessments are important, even without statistically significant predictors.
• Future VF testing technologies may improve early detection and management of BRVO-related functional deficits.