Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a restriction or blockage of blood flow leaving the retina and is the second most common retinal vascular disorder after diabetic retinopathy1. Causing varying degrees of vision loss, both central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) can be complicated by macular edema that can lead to total blindness.
RVO has a complex pathology, significant associated risk factors (e.g. age, hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, ischemic heart disease), and its treatment of associated macular edema may require no more than a single course treatment in some cases, but in others recurrent edema may necessitate one or more repeated courses of treatment.
One technology that is helping to advance the understanding and management of RVO is ultra-widefield retinal imaging (UWF™), which provides up to a 200 degree visualization of the retinal periphery. RVO is now being treated and studied using UWF retinal imaging, and data about the significance of RVO-associated pathology in the retinal periphery are being accumulated.
About Ultra-Widefield Retinal Imaging
UWF retinal imaging is performed by a specially designed scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) that generates a high-resolution digital image covering 200° (or about 82%) of the retina. By comparison, conventional 7 standard …
The expanding role of optometrists as primary eye care providers is also increasing expectations about the level of diagnostic and follow-up care. Whether it’s screening and monitoring hypertensive or diabetic patients, diagnosing a patient’s vision impairment, or uncovering pathology during a routine examination, optometric practices are expected to know more and do more about the ocular health of their patients.
Many optometrists may be meeting these expectations by utilizing ultra-widefield (UWF™) retinal imaging as a routine part of their practices. Along with improving patient experience and practice productivity, UWF retinal imaging gives these practitioners a powerful tool that is improving their practices’ overall optometric care.
UWF Retinal Imaging – A Versatile Imaging Platform
UWF retinal imaging provides practitioners with a versatile screening platform that can strengthen their ability to identify ocular and systemic disease while enabling more comprehensive and accurate treatment plan.
— One important capability offered by UWF retinal imaging is comprehensive and detailed visualization of the retinal periphery. As this technology proliferates throughout the eye care community, more studies are finding that pathologies of the retinal periphery are important to the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions. One recent report …