Central retinal vein occlusion in young people.

In a study performed on 20 subjects with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) aged 40 years or less we found the ischemic form in 20%. Disc edema was a common finding at the onset, while macular edema was less frequently seen. Systemic or ocular disorders that could be related with the development of the CRVO were often found; a patient was affected with myasthenia gravis and another with Sturge-Weber syndrome: these two diseases were not previously reported in association with CRVO. In only two of the 11 patients followed-up the visual acuity improved. The visual prognosis in CRVO of young people is often poor; the more frequent cause of the reduced visual acuity is chronic cystoid macular edema.