Grid laser treatment of macular edema in macular branch retinal vein occlusion

Aim: Macular branch retinal vein occlusion (MBRVO) is a subgroup of branch retinal vein occlusion in which the occlusion is limited to a small venous vessel draining a sector of the macular region. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of grid laser treatment for macular edema in MBRVO. Methods: 77 Patients with MBRVO of recent onset were prospectively studied during a 24 month period. Eyes were randomly assigned to a grid laser treatment group and to a control group. Clinical parameters such as visual acuity, presence of macular edema and angiographic features were recorded during the follow-up period. Results: Visual acuity increased significantly in both groups after 3 months of follow-up (p < 0.001) and after 1 year of follow-up (p < 0.005). No additional improvement was noted at the two year control. There was no statistical difference between the two groups. Conclusions: The visual prognosis of MBRVO is not improved after grid laser treatment of macular edema. This suggests that sudden ischemic damage to central photoreceptors rather than macular edema is the main factor for permanent visual acuity reduction.