To study the short-term visual outcomes affected by the patterns of macular edema in retinal vein occlusion patients.

In a retrospective study, 33 eyes of 33 consecutive patients with macular edema from retinal vein occlusion received an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. Macular edema was classified according to OCT patterns and the effect on visual outcome evaluated: Diffuse macular edema (DME) vs. focal macular edema (FME), and macular edema with serous retinal detachment (SRD) vs. macular edema without serous retinal detachment (non-SRD).

Nine patients had CRVO, 24 patients had BRVO and the follow-up period was 3.6 months. In the FME group, the mean baseline BCVA was 0.61 ± 0.34 and the final BCVA was 0.26 ± 0.29, a difference that was statistically significant ( p < 0.01). In the DME group, the mean baseline BCVA was 0.85 ± 0.44 and the final BCVA was 0.73 ± 0.37, a difference that was not statistically significant ( p = 0.07). In the non-SRD group, the mean baseline BCVA was 0.76 ± 0.43 and the final BCVA was 0.38 ± 0.36, a difference that was statistically significant ( p < 0.01). In the SRD group, the mean baseline BCVA was 0.73 ± 0.40 and the final BCVA was 0.64 ± 0.42, a difference that was not statistically significant ( p = 0.07).

Visual outcome was significantly better in the FME and non-SRD groups. The patterns of macular edema measured according to OCT were a prognostic factor for visual outcome.