What Is RVO?

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What is retinal vein occlusion (RVO)?

RVO usually affects one eye and can cause blurred vision or a loss of vision.

  • Arteries and veins bring blood to and from the eye. If the veins in the eye become blocked by a blood clot, this is called retinal vein occlusion, or RVO.
  • RVO may damage the retina (reh‐TIN‐uh, the light-sensitive layer in the back of the eye), causing problems with vision.

Healthy Eye

Healthy Eye

Eye With Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

 Eye With Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

There are 2 types of RVO:

  • Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is when the main retinal vein becomes blocked
  • Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is when one or more branches of the main retinal vein become blocked


What are the symptoms of RVO?

Symptoms of RVO can be hard or easy to notice and may happen suddenly. They include:

  • Sudden loss or blurring of vision (over several hours or days)
  • Sudden loss of all vision
  • Dark spots or little squiggles in vision (floaters)

RVO almost always happens only in one eye.


What are the risk factors for RVO?

Risk factors include:

Clots
Clots
Hardening of arteries
Hardening of Arteries
Blood Sugar
Blood Sugar
Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure
Eye Problems
Eye Problems
Older age
Older Age

The risk of all these factors increases with age, so RVO usually affects older people.

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Make a Retina Specialist Appointment

If you think you are experiencing problems with vision from RVO, make an appointment with a Retina Specialist right away.

Find a Retina Specialist

Financial Assistance Options

Financial Assistance Options

There may be options to help you afford LUCENTIS, no matter what type of health insurance you have. Learn about Genentech Ophthalmology Access Solutions.

Important Safety Information & Indication

Who is LUCENTIS for? LUCENTIS® (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine for the treatment of patients with macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

What important safety information should I know about LUCENTIS? You should not use LUCENTIS if you have an infection in or around the eye or are allergic to LUCENTIS or any of its ingredients. LUCENTIS is a prescription medication given by injection into the eye, and it has side effects. Some LUCENTIS patients have had detached retinas and serious eye infections. If your eye becomes red, sensitive to light, or painful, or if you have a change in vision, call or visit your eye doctor right away. 

Some LUCENTIS patients have had increases in eye pressure before and within 1 hour of an injection.

Uncommonly, LUCENTIS patients have had serious, sometimes fatal, problems related to blood clots, such as heart attacks or strokes.

Severe inflammation of vessels in the retina has happened for patients treated with LUCENTIS. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you experience a change in vision.

Some LUCENTIS patients have serious side effects related to the injection. These include serious infections inside the eye, detached retinas, and cataracts. The most common eye-related side effects are increased redness in the white of the eye, eye pain, small specks in vision, and increased eye pressure. The most common non–eye-related side effects are nose and throat infections, anemia, nausea and cough. Ask your doctor if you have questions or want more information.

You may report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555.

For additional Safety Information, please talk to your doctor and see the LUCENTIS full Prescribing Information.