Back
New Treatment Found To Reduce Vision Loss From Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO)

In the US , vein occlusion is estimated to be the second most common condition affecting blood vessels in the retina. Currently, no treatment exists for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), in which a blood clot slows or stops circulation in a large vein within the eye's light-sensitive retinal tissue. Reduced retinal circulation can lead to new blood vessel growth and blood vessel leakage, which results in retinal tissue swelling -- a common cause of vision loss from CRVO. Until now, there has been no proven, effective way to treat CRVO. However, some ophthalmologists have treated patients with eye injections of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid called triamcinolone, though its effectiveness had not been tested in a clinical trial. According to a report from the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health, a multi-center, Phase III clinical trial has identified the first long-term, effective treatment to improve vision and reduce vision loss associated with blockage of large veins in the eye. The Standard Care vs. Corticosteroid for Retinal Vein Occlusion (SCORE) Study, conducted at 84 clinical sites, found that eye injections of triamcinolone could reduce vision loss related to CRVO. Treated patients were also five times more likely to gain vision after one year than patients who were just under observation. The SCORE Study was the first to compare the safety and effectiveness of standard care observation with two different dosages of triamcinolone: 1 mg and 4 mg. The results appear in the Archives of Ophthalmology (2009;127:1101-1114), which was published alongside findings from a separate trial within the SCORE Study, which looked at blockages in smaller retinal veins. Study participants included 271 people with CRVO who were an average of 68 years old. Patients in the treatment group could receive a maximum of three corticosteroid injections every year for up to three years, based on the state of their disease. At one year, patients who received either dose of the corticosteroid medication were five times more likely than those who did not receive treatment to experience a substantial visual gain of three or more lines on a vision chart-equivalent to identifying letters that were half as small as they could read before treatment. However, patients in the 1 mg group had fewer side effects related to increased eye pressure and cataract formation than those in the 4 mg group.
Source: OnTarget Newsletter      21-9-2009