Iris neovascularization associated with obstruction of the central retinal artery.

The authors retrospectively reviewed 168 cases of central retinal artery obstruction (CRAO) to determine the rate of occurrence of iris neovascularization (NVI) and to identify any factors that may predispose to its development. Twenty-eight well-documented cases of NVI after CRAO were detected, an occurrence rate of 16.6%. After evaluating the intravenous fluorescein angiograms of these patients, the authors conclude that an extreme prolongation of the retinal arteriovenous transit time is an independent risk factor for the subsequent development of NVI. Twelve of 18 eyes (66.6%) in the NVI group, versus seven of 29 eyes (24.1%) in the control group, showed such prolongation (P less than 0.02).