Clinical characteristics of branch retinal vein occlusion with increased retinal haemorrhage during treatment for macular oedema

Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate clinical characteristics of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) patients with increased retinal haemorrhage during macular oedema (MO) treatment. Patients were divided into increased and non-increased retinal haemorrhage groups. The former group was sub-divided based on the degree of increase: < 50% or ≥ 50%. Baseline characteristics, clinical data, and best vision achieved before and after increased retinal haemorrhage were assessed. Sixty-eight eyes of 68 patients were included. Forty-six eyes were non-increased, 11 eyes experienced < 50% increase in retinal haemorrhage, and 11 eyes had ≥ 50% increase. Ischaemic BRVO was related to increased haemorrhage based on the multivariate analysis. The ≥ 50% increase group exhibited higher baseline central subfield macular thickness (CSMT), poorer baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and longer mean periods between the final intravitreal injections and the time increased retinal haemorrhages were observed, compared to the < 50% group. The best vision achieved before and after increased haemorrhage was significantly worse in the ≥ 50% group. In conclusion, the ischaemic type of BRVO is related to increased retinal haemorrhage during MO treatment, and a ≥ 50% increase in haemorrhages is associated with higher CSMT and poorer BCVA at baseline, with poor visual gain.