CRVO

If you were wondering why I ranted about God or why my family is pressuring me to not spend so much time on the computer, you should really get a life. grin. I guess I am going to tell you in any case.

WARNING: Reading medical info can be bad for a layperson. Read at own risk.

The reason is CRVO in my right eye. That is central retinal vein occlusion. Here is a basic description:

The retina of the eye is the sensory organ for vision. If the eye is compared to a camera, the retina would be the film where the “picture” is formed. Proper blood circulation is needed for the retina to function. Normally, blood flows into the retina through the Central Retinal Artery and leaves the eye through the Central Retinal Vein. Both of these blood vessels enter the eye through the optic nerve.

CRVO is caused by a blood clot in the vein that drains the blood from the retina of the eye. The arterial blood enters the retina but cannot leave it due to a blockage in the vein.

As a result, blood and fluid are backed up into the retina, which causes a loss in vision. Over time, the blood vessels in the retina may close leading to further loss of vision with the possible development of new abnormal blood vessels. These new vessels may cause a very painful type of glaucoma and lead to total blindness. Traditionally, there has been no reliably effective treatment to prevent the loss of vision or to improve vision once it has been lost.

Patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, or glaucoma are at an increased risk for developing CRVO. One researcher estimates that approximately 60,000 people develop a CRVO each year in the United States.

The risk factors for CRVO are old age, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. However, some young healthy adults, like me, also get this disease due to unknown reasons. In that case, it is sometimes known as Papillophlebitis.

I noticed it more than 3 weeks ago in the form of a couple of floaters (i.e., small dark spots in my right eye) and it was diagnosed a day before I wrote that rant. The floaters changed to a dark web in the upper visual field in my right eye. It was very annoying at first, but I got used to it or it got better and I don’t even notice it most of the time now.

Today, I had an appointment with a retina specialist who dilated my pupils and shone lots of light into my eyes. He also did Fluorescein Angiography. The results are hopeful, though I have to see him every month.

There are two kinds of CRVO: ischemic and non-ischemic.

Nonischemic CRVO is the milder form of the disease. It may present with good vision, few retinal hemorrhages and cotton-wool spots, no relative afferent pupillary defect, and good perfusion to the retina. Nonischemic CRVO may resolve fully with good visual outcome or may progress to the ischemic type.

Ischemic CRVO is the severe form of the disease. CRVO may present initially as the ischemic type, or it may progress from nonischemic. Usually, ischemic CRVO presents with severe visual loss, extensive retinal hemorrhages and cotton-wool spots, presence of relative afferent pupillary defect, poor perfusion to retina, and presence of severe electroretinographic changes. In addition, patients may end up with neovascular glaucoma and a painful blind eye.

Ischemic is a dangerous and more severe form which often leads to complications and very poor vision. Non-ischemic CRVO is a mild or benign disease. However, it might progress to ischemic CRVO over time. The risk of that happening is about 12% within 18 months of the onset of CRVO. That is why it is important to regularly monitor my non-ischemic case.

There are some experimental treatments but no real treatment. In the ischemic case, doctors usually treat complications while for the non-ischemic, they just monitor the patient. In quite a few non-ischemic cases, the blocking of the vein clears itself and there is no major loss of vision.

To make things more interesting, I have minimal vision in my left eye.

NEXT: Update here.

By Zack

Dad, gadget guy, bookworm, political animal, global nomad, cyclist, hiker, tennis player, photographer

44 comments

  2. I hope that your eyesight will improve and the doctors can find a cure for this for you. Take care of yourself and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you, inshallah. 🙂

  3. Zack, I hope that you get better soon.
    I have never prayed in my life so hard as I have parayed now for your complete recovery.
    I have a frined who I told that you got CRVO in your right eye and that your left eye already had almost no vision and next I know her mom was in tears praying for you and she have not even met you.

    Being the believer, I have so much faith in Allah and so my heart tells me that my prayers and prayers of the family and friends will be answered (Amin).
    I have faith that prayers will not only improve the CRVO impacted eye but Allah the most merciful will also arrange means for your long gone vision
    to return in your left eye as well.

    Hang in there..the difficult time will end soon..inshallah
    Best wishes and good luck.

  4. Hi Zack,

    Hope and pray that you have a swift and complete recovery.

    May Allah be with you in the time of trial.

    Allah Hafiz,
    Bilal

  9. Hi zack,
    I got nailed with CRVO about 6 months ago too. I am 59 and in relatively good health but had high intraocular pressure that was never really taken care of. My fault all the way. Anyway, about the same time I got this CRVO, I got bitten by a tick and began getting a mild case of Lymes Disease. This was interesting because one night I woke up and I could see perfectly. When I went in to see the doctor about the Limes disease, he was telling me that ticks inject an anticoagulant into your body so that the blood comes to the surface and they can suck it out. I wonder if this anticoagulant treatment, using the chemical that ticks inject, would resolve the clots we have in the vein? I am going to pursue this and see. By the way, the vision clouded up again the next day but when it cleared up, I could see perfectly. It might be a fluke but I am going to see if I can find someone using TPA or something like that to resolve these clots. Good luck with yours.

  10. Rck: Best of luck.

    My vision cleared up a few months ago. My doctor has put me on baby aspirin as an anti-coagulant, though the clot cleared up before I started that.

  11. My mom is 59 and has had two stokes followed by several minis. Total time roughly 1 yr ago.She has been diagnosed with CRVO also Ischenia, macular degeneration. Her vision is now 20/70 which after surving web doesnt seem too bad for retianl vein occlusion. SHe has clot near her brain and also a veinthat is blocked. Doc did steroid shot and reliefed pressure for 2 months and also did laser which hasnt helped. Clot is 4 dimes size. She has blood that she can see going thru her eye and also it drains down her thraot causing her to vomit blood. Doc in SC reffered her to Augusta specialist but cant see her till Sept. Mom says she is walking time bomb and guys I am feeling very desperate. Can anyone advise or share with me familar cases that might be helpful? Mom does have high blood pressure. She is experiencing memory loss and I try to tell her she has always had bad memory but she is really starting to scare me. When I came across this sight last night I was hoping someone could share knowledge with me that can help my Moma. Thanks

    Jackie in Ga

  13. ZACK. God plsue you man. My dad is haveing the same problem Dr Davied ZACK at MIchigan is the Doctor to see for this. he is the top doctor and his research is foucsed on CRVO.
    thansk

  14. hello, i was writing to say my husband has been diagnosed with pappillophlebitis. Just 2weeks ago, it is so scary when you know that the docs dont know what causes it and when it will go away.If you can give us more info on it or anything more. Please let us know. Thanks sighned concerned

  15. Cynthia: Sorry to hear about your husband’s CRVO. I hope and pray that he gets better. Mine resolved by itself in a couple of months.

    I don’t have much information myself. I would suggest talking to a retina specialist.

    On the internet, there are also quite a few websites about CRVO. Some CRVO patients find support in other patients’ stories here.

    Best of luck.

  16. I have crvo – was in Kuwait, went to 5 doctors, then to one in France – All said nothing could be done. My family did research in the States because since Nov. 5 2004 my eye continued to get worse. I went to the States and had surgery – cannulation with injection of TPA with cortisone injection, Dec.22,2004. The blood in my eye is clearing up and my vision has improves steadily.
    There are alot of doctors who are not up tp date with new treatments. This treatment is done only in the US.
    Feb. 18,2005

  18. Hi I am only 23 and I just found out I got CRVO and I am so scared to loss my vision …. I pray that is goes away, it will wont it???”

  20. I am 65 and recently had a CRVO in my right eye. This is sort of a re-occurance of the same thing which happened in my early 20’s (ancient times). The treatment back then consisted of a 4 month hospital stay (I was in the US Navy) and anti-coagulant treatment for several months while in the hospital. Things cleared up, but I had some scarring of the retina, but was correctable to 20/30 when my eyes began to need glasses.

    Now, the situation is blockage of the retinal veins, and the Doctors have explained I have 4 options: 1. Do nothing and maybe it will improve on its own (with the potential of generating the veins that cause glaucoma) 2. Have a drug injected into the fluid of the eye, which tests have proven to have immediate improvement on the vision. 3. Have steroids injected into the eye (which results show enhances glaucoma). 4. Have surgery with no real encouragement it will help due to the microscopic blood vessels and a very tough location.

    I am presently considering these options. Has anyone out there experienced any of the treatments and can give some feedback?

    Thanks very much.

  22. Zach,
    I am 27 and was just diagnosed with CRVO in my right eye as well and sounds just like yours did when it first started. Is your vision normal now? How long did it take? You didnt totally lose vision in that eye when it happened right, just floaters and weblike? Any info would be great. Thanks.
    Jaclyn

  23. Jaclyn:

    Is your vision normal now?

    Yes.

    How long did it take?

    About 3-4 months.

    You didnt totally lose vision in that eye when it happened right, just floaters and weblike?

    It started with floaters and then became a web, but I never lost vision in my eye.

    Best of luck to you.

  24. Zack,

    I am 39 years old and have CRVO in my right eye. I have been dealing with it now for over 4 months with no improvement. I have the best doctor in LA and says I have no real options except to wait it out. Which is so frustrating.

    So far I have had 2 injection on ANVISTON ( it clears up the fluid over the retina) but only improves my vision for a week at best. Not worth the discomfort of a “needle in your eye”.

    My right eye is so blurry that sometimes I feel like I am cross eyed. I have thought of wearing a patch until this passes. What did you do to read, watch tv etc.

    Thanks for any help!

    Joe

  25. Joe: The dark web in my right eye bothered me but it was still possible to read or watch TV. I had to cut down on the reading quite a bit though as it was cumbersome.

    Best of luck!

  26. I am a guy aged 56 – fit sporty and not overweight and one day 3weeks ago, quite suddenly, lots of floaters in my left eye and then the classical blurring – and wow.. is it scary!!!

    I have had Crohns and Sarcoidosis and hope this may be a clue to finding a cure -has anyone had any experience with prednisolone??

  28. I have been diagnosed with CRVO just this past Monday. I’m a 32 yr. old female. I’m healthy and have no medical problems. I have been so scared with all that is going on with me. It all started while I was driving. With today I going on 19 days with this problem. I went to see an eye specialist who sent me to get a full physical, CBC and MRI because he had diagnosed me with Papaledema. Everything came out negative. He sent me with a Retina specialist who said I had CRVO and he sent me to a Hematologist for more testing. The Hematologist said he didn’t find anything and sent me to do a blood test that was more detailed to determine if my blood was to thick or to see what caused this condition. All I get from the Dr’s is that I have a unique case do to my age and condition and don’t understand the source of this all. I get no answers. I was put on eye drops and baby aspirin till my results come in and a week from now I get to see the retinal specialist. I’m so frustrated and so depressed. My vision is very important to me and I don’t want to lose it. Counting next week it will be 27 days with this problem and only 14 days with only eye drop medication. I cannot see through my left eye. Well, I can see a frame at a distance but not the middle of the whole picture. In just this time my vision has worsen and the cotton or wool spots have increased. What do you think? Will I be able to recover as you did? Is this part of what you went through? Should I just wait or should I see someone else?

  30. Hi Zack,

    I am from India,and now for the past 5 days only I suffer from Non Ischemic CRVO in my left eye.I have never had any eye problems in my life at all.I just have a slight blurred vision in my left eye.

    When I consulted the doctor they themselves were astonished that how come I could get this Non Ischemic CRVO at a very young age of 25.I have also taken scanning and Angiography and given lots of blood tests.My treatment is yet to start.

    How are you feeling now?Has it got cured?Are you having Non Ischemic CRVO or Ischemic CRVO ?????????

  34. I also had CRVO last year, first I went to the vision care because when I wanted to read something with my left eye, having my right eye closed, I could see only the first and last letters but would miss the middle one or two. I made an appointment with an eye doctor immediately, after through checkup he sent me to the eye specialist right away, I was diagnosed with CRVO. I was put on baby aspirin. I had a lot of blood tests and CT scan of my brain. Everything looked normal. A week later I had angiography and there was no leakage of blood. My vision was already improved by then though. About 2 weeks ago I saw my doctor and he said he could not tell if I ever had CRVO if he didn’t know my condition before. Now I am free of CRVO, but I am on baby aspirin for the rest of my life.
    Thank you Zack for creating this discussion page.
    Knowing that you have this disease and feeling helpless really sucks.

  35. I also had CRVO last year, first I went to the vision care because when I wanted to read something with my left eye, having my right eye closed, I could see only the first and last letters but would miss the middle one or two. I made an appointment with an eye doctor immediately, after through checkup he sent me to the eye specialist right away, I was diagnosed with CRVO. I was put on baby aspirin. I had a lot of blood tests and CT scan of my brain. Everything looked normal. A week later I had angiography and there was no leakage of blood. My vision was already improved by then though. About 2 weeks ago I saw my doctor and he said he could not tell if I ever had CRVO if he didn’t know my condition before. Now I am free of CRVO, but I am on baby aspirin for the rest of my life.
    Thank you Zack for creating this discussion page.
    Knowing that you have this disease and feeling helpless really sucks.

    @Zack

  36. I also have had CRVO (non-ischemic). It was life altering. Mine resolved after 5 months, but I am, in some ways, still standing there looking at the shock and concern in the eyes of the original doctors; I remember the moment I knew something was terribly wrong and that, at some level, life would never be “quite” the same. But of course I don’t mean that in a wholly negative way – I developed strength and empathy and belief that one can overcome great odds.

  37. Hello,
    I am 34 year old healthy Mother of 2 great kids around 6 1/2 and 4 1/2.

    I have been diagnosed with CRVO in my left eye.
    As all of you mentioned above lot of blood test done all came negative.
    Retina specialist told me to take baby aspirin and no medications.
    How long it takes to completly recover from CRVO?

  38. I had a CRVO just a couple of weeks ago. I can only see colors and shapes out of my right eye. They are wanting to start treatment by injecting medication into my eye starting next week. Somehow that just does not sound good to me! The worse thing is that they tell you upfront that even with treatment there is a poor prognosis for getting my sight back. I have to admit that this is definitely getting me down. I wish I knew if it would ever get better. I hope your’s continues to improve.

  39. About a month ago I found out I had BRVO. Yesterday I went for a 2nd opinion & I now have CRVO. The Dr. wants to give me Avastin shots in my eye. I don’t like the idea really. I wonder if aspirin would help my eye as well. I’ll do further research but think a baby aspirin sure couldn’t hurt.

  41. Christmas day 2010 my left eye went totally ‘black’. Yes; flashes of light sparks and floaters followed. I had flashes/floaters B4 and knew waht to do for renta or vitris detachment. However the ‘black’ was scary! The eye doctor said it was ‘occular migrane’ sydrome. That was 10 months ago. During the year I continued to complain that my visin was blurred. The eye doctor said it was a big floater. I had those B4; this felt different. By June the eye continued daily to worsen; I had horizontal-lines of light flashing (not sparks); that was a first. My vision continued to be blurred in the left eye up to now in October. NOW the eye image tests are showing many tiny blood spots. FINALLY I have been sent to a eye specialist; he calls it “Central Retinal Vein Occlusion” or CRVO. He will do lazer and drops(?) if Asprin does not clear it. The ASPRIN gave a terrfic BAD reaction; so bad that I spent the day on www to find out WHY. Ha! “NSAID” allergy/sensitvity; found in ASPRIN and many foods/drugs that I already have needed to avoid my entire life; now I know WHY! That search led me to this page; where I found out that CRVO is a blood clot. Ha; the Doctor said it was ‘blocked’; why didn’t he use the word ‘blood clot’ so I could actually understand what is going on in my eye! Thanks to this page! In searching www I was shocked to read I may loose my eye site; Doctor didn’t tell me that either; just ordered more tests to asertan the cause of the ‘blockage’. So I was left in the cold as to details or possible outcomes or what the lazer surgery/drugs will or won’t do. He is giving me 6 weeks to see if it will ‘clear’ on its own with SPECIALIZED KINESIOLOGY treatments for the EYE that I want to try first; along with COLOR LIGHT TREATMENT and crystals; anything/something to ‘clear’ the ‘block’ in the artery. I found Dr Donald Lepore ND suggest VITAMIN P to prevent capilary hemorrhaging of the retina (the blood spots in the eye?. Vit P is found in the white segment of Grapefruit, Lemon and Oranges. Also in Cherries, blackberries and strawberries. Still searching alternative methods to ‘thin’ the blood so the clot (‘block’) will clear. I have no clue what to eat or what to avoid; still searching. Anyone into the ‘alternative’ solutions please advise. I will continue to post as I find out more. I am not too excited about eye drugs that ‘kill’ blood viens in the eye and lazer treatment that ‘shock’ and/or ‘scar’ the retina. Not too sure of additional damage longer term with that treatment. Has anyone had that done many years ago with permanent success? I am also not too excited about loosing my eye site; therefore I will investigate alternative therapies to assist in unblocking the ‘block’. I know certain ‘crystals’ in Crystal Therapy do such a thing. Anyone got information on that? I also know that certain Vitamin def’s affect the eye dramatically; if I find the one I am missing that little eye vein may need some assistance. I am sure it is trying real hard to clear the ‘block’; poor little eye cells; I love you too!

  42. Hi All,
    ive just been diagnosed with CRVO. There is no cure. Doing research on Avistan (the poor mans drug), its not FDA Approved but some people say they have improvement with vision but have to keep going back every month. Some other drugs which have steroids in can cause glaucoma. Theres a new drug out called EYlea. It can prevent new vessles forming. Underlying causes for my CRVO is high blood pressure, so i am trying to get that under control. I can only see out of my right eye now and learning to accept that. I will only treat underlying problems as they happen because there is no cure and I don’t want to be a guinea pig. My doctor told me that it is a very common disease and can happen to any age group from as young as 14. I will keep reading the reviews and researching the net for new ideas like many of you do. May you all have the strength to keep strong. I just keep thinking theres others in the world with much more problems than me, it helps a bit. Take care all.

  43. Ten years ago, I learned that I had CRVO in my left eye. I was angry that there was nothing that could be done. I chose to pursue herbal solutions and for ten years, I found nothing. In Nov 2011, my doctor confirmed that I was still blind in my left eye (unable to see the big E at the top of the eye chart). Two weeks ago I started taking an enzyme called: Serrapeptase (reference: http://www.serrapeptase.info ) In two weeks, the vision in my CRVO eye has improved by 50% (I can see the big E) and I am guessing that the problem will be completely gone in eight weeks. This is totally exciting. I am a very budget conscious person and I purchase my serrapetase from Vitacost, the Dr’s Best brand and I am taking 3 pills AM and 3 pills PM of 40,000 units each. You will get a $10 discount on your first order if you use the following link: http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=2355594

    1. Hi Allan,

      Thank you for sharing this information, Allan. I was recently diagnosed with CRVO although I am only 36 years old. It is not progressing and my vision is still 20/20. I am curious to know the effect of serrapeptase long term, whether you will have to take it every day for the rest of your life. I hope you recover fully. Also I hope all the folks on this thread get to improve their vision with this or any other drug. Please keep posting any other remedies, conventional or unconventional on this page. Thanks Zack for this thread and all the information shared thus far. Zack, I presume your vision is still good, please provide update when you get a chance. Thanks!

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