Vitrectomy for Complications of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

To evaluate the outcomes of vitrectomy for complications of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). This retrospective study, included patients who underwent vitrectomy surgery due to the complications of BRVO over an 11-year period. Visual acuity and retinal condition were evaluated beforeand after surgery. The study included 30 eyes of 30 patients with mean age of 64.7±10.92 (range 41-85) years. Vitrectomy was performed for vitreous hemorrhage in 23 eyes (76.6%), for tractional macular detachment in 5 eyes (16.6%) and for combined tractional macular detachment and vitreous hemorrhage in 2 eyes (6.6%).The patients were followed for a mean of 15.43±12.5 months (range 6-60 months). Visual acuity improved from 2.6±0.66 to 0.92±0.75 LogMAR after operation (P<0.001). Visual improvement was significant in vitreous hemorrhage group (P<0.001), however, it was not significant in the other two groups (both Ps= 0.1). Visual acuity remained unchanged in 2 patients and decreased in two other patients The most common cause of vitrectomy for complications of BRVO was vitreous hemorrhage. Patients with tractional macular detachment with or without vitreous hemorrhage had less improvement in visual acuity in comparison to patients with vitreous hemorrhage alone