Glaucoma and axial length ın retinal vein occlusion

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of glaucoma and risk factors in retinal vein occlusion. To evaluate the ocular axial length as a risk factor for development of retinal veın occlusion.Materials and Methods: The records of 120 patients with retinal vein occlusion, who were followed and treated in Çukurova University Medicine School Ophthalmology Department between 2006-2010, were analysed retrospectively. Ocular axial lengths were measured by A-scan ultrasonography in 49 patients with central retinal vein occlusion and 71 patients with branch retinal vein occlusion and compared with those of contralateral unaffected eyes and control group.Also we evaluated the age, sex, involved eye, localisation of occlusion, presence of systemic diseases and glaucoma predisposing to retinal vein occlusion.Results: This study included 120 patients. Fifty-seven patients were female, 63 patients were male and the mean age was 61,9 ± 9,4 years. As a risk factors of retinal vein occlusion, there were systemic hypertension in 75 patients (62.5%), diabetes mellitus in 26 patients (21.7%), hyperlipidemia in 41 patients (34.2%), atherosclerotic heart disease in 23 patient (19.2%).There were glaucoma in 15 eyes (30.6 %) of 49 patients with central retinal vein occlusion and in 7 eyes (9.9%) of 71 patients with branch retinal vein occlusion.In patients with retinal vein occlusion the mean axial length of affected eyes was 22.2 ± 0.9 mm and of unaffected eyes was 22.06 ± 0.9 mm. The mean axial length of control group was 22.08 ± 0.9 mm. Statistically significant difference between retinal vein occlusion and control group was detected.Conclusion: Primary glaucoma and short axial length are important risk factors. It is important to exclude systemic risk factors and glaucoma in the fellow eye of any patient with retinal vein occlusion to reduce the risk of that eye developing retinal vein occlusion and glaucomatous damage.Key Words: Retinal vein occlusion, glaucoma, axial length