Assessment of Retinal Vein Occlusion

Investigations and Tests for RVO

At Bettersight we work closely to national guidelines on investigating RVO cases as follows:

• Careful examination to correctly identify the condition
• Investigations such as
  • OCT scan of macula to determine degree of macular oedema
  • Fluorescein angiography to identify extent of damage to the microscopic blood vessels in the retina
  • Blood tests – a range of blood tests will be considered to help identify  underlying medical problems that may be contributing to the development of the RVO. Its not uncommon for undiagnosed conditions to manifest as a result of this blood testing process.
  • Physical examination – especially measurement of blood pressure which is a strong risk factor in RVO.

• We always prefer to liaise with your GP in order to seek their help in managing some of the risk factors that are implicated in the development of RVO such as

• Management of blood pressure
• Management of diabetes if present or identified by our blood testing
• Management of blood cholesterol and lipids if abnormal on testing
• Help on smoking cessation if this is relevant
• Onwards referral for specialist physician assessment in atypical cases – eg younger than age 50 or other factors identified from blood testing.

Once the initial phase of assessment is completed we then have a comprehensive picture of your condition, its severity and the potential prognosis. The natural history (that is if left untreated) is a very important consideration in deciding on a course of action. If we feel that the natural history is likely to be good then a period of observation and regular monitoring is scheduled. If however our investigations and examinations suggest a poor natural history with a strong chance of further vision decline occurring then a course of treatment would likely be considered.

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