title: Ocular neovascularization in eyes with a central retinal artery occlusion or a branch retinal artery occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the ocular neovascularization (ONV) rate in eyes with a branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) or a central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), and to study factors that may influence the ONV rate secondary to CRAO.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective case series of consecutive patients (286 total eyes: 83 CRAOs and 203 BRAOs) who were diagnosed with a retinal artery occlusion from 1998 to 2013 at the Retina Consultants of Alabama and University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the association between hypothesized risk factors and ONV development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve (14.5%) of the 83 eyes with a CRAO developed ONV. Eleven of 12 eyes (91.7%) had iris neovascularization, ten of 12 eyes (83.3%) had neovascular glaucoma, and two of 12 eyes (16.7%) had neovascularization of the optic disc. The average time for ONV development secondary to CRAO was 30.7 days, ranging from the date of presentation to 137 days. Only two (<1.0%) of the 203 eyes with a BRAO developed iris neovascularization. Diabetes mellitus type 2 was a risk factor for ONV development following a CRAO with an adjusted odds ratio of 5.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.4-19.8) (P=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ONV is an important complication of CRAO and is a less-frequent complication of BRAO. Patients with a CRAO, especially those with diabetes mellitus type 2, should be closely monitored for the first 6 months for ONV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA ; Retina Consultants of Alabama, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Shyam A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA ; Retina Consultants of Alabama, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Feist
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA ; Retina Consultants of Alabama, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huisingh
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA ; Retina Consultants of Alabama, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Martin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Thomley
keywords: branch retinal artery occlusion; central retinal artery occlusion; diabetes mellitus; neovascular glaucoma; neovascularization; retinal artery occlusion