eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Ophthalmology

Retinal Vein Occlusion: Follow-up

Author: Mark Fonrose, MD, FACEP, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center/State University of New York
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Aug 25, 2008

Follow-up

Further Inpatient Care

  • Discuss decisions regarding inpatient care versus outpatient care for retinal vein occlusion with the consulting ophthalmologist.

Further Outpatient Care

  • Assurance of follow-up care is extremely important if the patient is discharged from the ED.

Transfer

  • Transfer may be necessary if ophthalmologic consultation is unavailable at a particular hospital.

Complications

  • Decreased visual acuity
  • Blindness

Prognosis

  • Central retinal vein occlusion: Prognosis of visual recovery is dependent on the subtype—ischemic versus nonischemic. In general, prognosis can be predicted by visual acuity on initial examination, as noted in the Central Vein Occlusion Study (CVOS).
  • Branch retinal vein occlusion: Good prognostic factors are younger age, female, and few risk factors. Poor prognosis is found in males, older patients, multiple risk factors, and those with poor initial visual acuity.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Medical and legal pitfalls can be centered upon a failure to diagnose, and subsequently offer emergent ophthalmology evaluation in the ED setting.
 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors, Richard J Spitz, MD, and Loice Swisher, MD, to the development and writing of this article.



More on Retinal Vein Occlusion

Overview: Retinal Vein Occlusion
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Retinal Vein Occlusion
Treatment & Medication: Retinal Vein Occlusion
Follow-up: Retinal Vein Occlusion
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

retinal vein occlusion, RVO, ischemic retinal vein occlusion, cause of blindness, retina disorder, nonischemic retinal vein occlusion, retinal apoplexy, venous stasis retinopathy, hemorrhagic retinopathy, macular edema, macular ischemia, neovascular glaucoma

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Mark Fonrose, MD, FACEP, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center/State University of New York
Mark Fonrose, MD, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Joseph A Salomone, III, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Truman Medical Center, University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine
Joseph A Salomone, III, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Southern Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Douglas Lavenburg, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Christiana Care Health Systems
Douglas Lavenburg, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System
Robert E O'Connor, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physician Executives, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Medical Society of Delaware, National Association of EMS Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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