5-Minute Emergency Consult
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
Basics
Description
Disease characterized by decreased visual acuity resulting from venous occlusion of any etiology
Etiology
- Nonischemic CRVO:
- More common 75–80% of cases
- Milder symptoms, incomplete occlusion
- May convert to ischemic form in months to years
- Ischemic CRVO:
- Less common 20–25% of cases
- More severe symptoms, complete occlusion
- Higher risk of long-term sequelae
- Blocked venous return leads to backflow in capillaries, hemorrhage, and macular edema
- Limited space at lamina cribrosa predisposes to thrombosis due to slow flow and vessel wall changes
- Theorized that arteriosclerotic changes in the adjacent artery may impinge upon the vein
- Blood viscosity also thought to play a role
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Central Retinal Vein Occlusion." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 7th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2027. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307703/all/Central_Retinal_Vein_Occlusion.
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307703/all/Central_Retinal_Vein_Occlusion. Accessed July 18, 2026.
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion. (2027). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (7th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307703/all/Central_Retinal_Vein_Occlusion
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. [cited 2026 July 18]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307703/all/Central_Retinal_Vein_Occlusion.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
ID - 307703
ED - Barkin,Adam Z,
ED - Shayne,Philip,
ED - Rosen,Peter,
ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J,
ED - Barkin,Roger M,
ED - Hayden,Stephen R,
ED - Wolfe,Richard E,
BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
UR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307703/all/Central_Retinal_Vein_Occlusion
PB - Wolters Kluwer
ET - 7
DB - Emergency Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
