Resolution of Macular Edema after Control of Systemic Hypertension in Retinal Vein Occlusion

Case of unilateral macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) that improved after successful treatment of systemic hyper-tension alone. A 40-year-old male patient with inferior temporal branch retinal vein occlusion (IT BRVO) who had macular edema in his left eye and a visual acuity (VA) of 6/18. His blood pressure (BP) was 169/110 mmHg. One month after the initiation of a calcium blocker to treat his systemic hypertension, his BP was decreased, macular edema was reduced, and his VA improved to 6/6. He had only systemic hypertension but no diabetes mellitus or other ocular diseases associated with macular edema. The patient was treated only with medication for systemic hypertension. Optical coherence tomography was performed to determine the foveal thickness before and after treatment. Effective management of macular edema in BRVO should begin with optimal control of underlying systemic factors, particularly hypertension. Early systemic stabilization can facilitate significant reduction in macular edema and may decrease the overall burden of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, improving both visual outcomes and treatment compliance.