Dear Dr. SerVaas: Is there anything on the horizon that one can do to prevent a second hemi-central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO)? Once resolved, what is the risk of the same thing happening again and how soon? I am also wondering whether my loss of depth perception will improve over time. Dear Reader: We sent your questions to retinal expert Dr. Sohan Singh Hayreh, director of the ocular vascular clinic at the University of Iowa. Dr. Hayreh responds: "The best way to prevent a second hemi-CRVO is to reduce any known risk factor, such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or other systemic cardiovascular disorder. Keeping the intraocular pressure under good control is also important. Other preventive strategies, unfortunately, are not known. "In my study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in 1994 (Volume 117, pages 429-441), I tried to answer key questions which patients with various types of retinal vein occlusion tend to ask. The following are findings on the risk of recurrence based on 120 cases of non-ischemic hemi-CRVO and 41 cases of ischemic hemi-CRVO. "The risk of the same condition developing in the other eye was 3.5 percent at 2.2 years for non-ischemic hemi-CRVO and 7.4 percent at 0.4 years for ischemic hemi-CRVO. The risk of the condition recurring in the previously treated eye was 3.7 percent within 6.1 years for non-ischemic hemi-CRVO. We noted no recurrence of ischemic hemi-CRVO in the same eye. "This is the only scientifically valid information available on the subject. "Loss of depth perception is a common occurrence with retinal vein occlusions because the patient can see clearly only with one eye. With experience, people often regain that ability over a variable length of time."
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