What’s My Risk for RVO?
Know your risk factors for RVO (CRVO and BRVO)
- Age: People age 40 years and older are at higher risk but RVO is most common between the ages 60 and 80 years. 1
- Prior RVO: A person with a CRVO in one eye has a 1% chance per year of developing a CRVO in the other eye.2 A person with a BRVO in one eye has a ~ 12% chance of developing an RVO in the other eye over 4 years.3
- High blood pressure: Know your blood pressure numbers and goals for good control. 4
- Diabetes: Know your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, a measure of your average blood sugar level over 3 months. It is recommended that HbA1c be 7.0% or lower for most patients. 5
- Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries): Your PCP will make recommendations on how to prevent further arteriosclerosis. 1
- High cholesterol: Know your cholesterol levels and goals for good control.
Additional risk factors for CRVO:
- Sleep apnea: Your PCP will evaluate you for signs and symptoms and recommend testing if they suspect sleep apnea. 6
- Glaucoma: Your eye care provider will recommend treatment if needed. Treatment is often an eye drop used daily. 8
To help control your high blood pressure, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and high cholesterol, you should take your medications as directed, get 2.5 hours of moderate (heart pumping) exercise per week, eat a healthy diet, and maintain a healthy weight.7
If you are 40 years and under and develop RVO, your risk factors may be different. Visiting your PCP to have additional testing is important. 9
It is important for your PCP to know you have an RVO. Your PCP will check, monitor, and treat high blood pressure, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea.
References
- Kolar P. Risk factors for central and retinal branch retinal vein occlusion: A meta-analysis of published clinical data. J Ophthalmology. 2014;2014:724780.
- Natural history and clinical management of central retinal vein occlusion. The Central Vein Occlusion Group. Arch Ophthalmol. 1997;115:486-491.
- Hayreh SS, Zimmerman MB, Podhajsky P. Incidence of various types of retinal vein occlusion and their recurrence and demographic characteristics. Am J Ophthalmol. 1994;117:429-441.
- Hayreh SS, Zimmerman MB, McCarthy MJ, Podhajsky P. Systemic diseases associated with various types of retinal vein occlusion. Am J Ophthalmol. 2001;131:61-77.
- Ferris FL 3rd, Nathan DM. Preventing diabetic retinopathy progression. Ophthalmology. 2016;123:1840-1842.
- Chou KT, Huang CC, Tsai DC, et al. Sleep apnea and risk of retinal vein occlusion: A nationwide population-based study of Taiwanese. Am J Ophthalmol. 2012;154:200-205.
- Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:393-403.
- The Eye Disease Case-Control Study Group. Risk factors for central retinal vein occlusion. Arch Ophthalmol. 1996;114:545-554.
- Rothman AL, Thomas AS, Khan K, Fekrat S. Central retinal vein occlusion in young individuals: A comparison of risk factors and clinical outcomes. Retina. 2019;39:1917-1924.
