5 Responses to “Treatment for Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion (BRVO)”

1. Dr Weitzner on May 8th, 2009 2:59 pm

   brvo has nothing to do with headache, except that you are probably relying on one eye more than the other, and that imbalance may give you headache.
   macular degeneration patients can get a dozen injections. there does not seem to be any special risk the more we inject (although, there is a miniscule risk of infection each time).

   3 laser treatments is quite a bit for macular edema due to brvo- more laser is of doubtful efficacy and may very well make the vision worse (important to understand that if the doctor is treating neovascularization due to brvo, then you need a lot of laser).

   after all the treatment you got already, i doubt very much any more would be of any benefit. if the doctor wants to inject yet again, i would get a second opinion- but make sure to tell the doctor that you want an opinion and that he will not be doing any procedure on you- that way, you can be confident you are getting unbiased advice.

   i think you have to accept that your vision will probably never be normal- that is common in brvo, i’m afaraid. but chances are it will remain stable.

2. Dr. Wong on May 8th, 2009 3:23 pm

   I am not so sure that your symptoms are related to the BRVO, laser or Avastin. It is common to need repeated Avastin and occasionally more than one laser treatment. The frank answer to your question; probably infinite lasers (although 2-3 is more likely) and I don’t think we really know the maximum number of Avastin injections. Patients receiving Avastin and related medicines commonly receive monthly injections for over a year.

   Hope this was helpful,

   Randall V. Wong, M.D.
   Retina Specialist
   http://www.TotalRetina.com

3. Barbara Cooney on July 16th, 2009 6:34 pm

   I have BRVO, and have had 1 laser treatment and 1 shot of avastin. So far, I have not lost any of my vision. I have not had any problems with either treatment.

4. Bettha on October 21st, 2009 10:11 pm

   OOpps…I made an error ont he date in the first email…I try this again.

   I have had three BRVO’s since September 2007. Consequently, I had one Avastin injection and four laser treatments. I am 45 years old and I have been out of work since the first incident in September 2007. I was also diagnosed with Major Depression. It has taken all of this time to deal with the Depression. I am suppose to return to a stressful workplace in the next few months. I am required to do a lot of computer work/reading. My GP has recommended that I not return to work and I will be discussing this with my Opthamologist soon. What would typically be recommended in a situation of this nature. I could be eligible for LTD if my Opthamologist supports it but I do not know how serious this problem is. I know that three serious bleeds has left me scared and scarred. I can see quite well but my eye is filled with “snowflakes” . What is typically recommended for a situation like I described?

5. Dr. Ari Weitzner on October 24th, 2009 7:51 pm

   when i am asked to make a determination re disability in a patient with poor vision, i state that the patient may return to work that does not have high visual demands. if you are looking at a computer all day and do a lot of reading, then i consider you disabled, whereas if you are answering a phone or work as a salesman in a dept store, you are not disabled.
   you simply have to make a claim and go through the paperwork and disability consultations. it wont be easy- insurance companies and the govt certainly dont want to make payments, and they will ask you to work in less visually demanding jobs.
   if part of your disability is the depression, i cant comment on that- i have no expertise there.
   good luck

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