Retinal vein occlusion in a patient on oral contraceptive pills: a case report

Introduction Retinal vascular obstruction is rare in young patients; however, it is a significant cause of blindness, especially retinal vein occlusion (RVO), the most common acquired retinal vascular pathology in adults(1). RVO is divided in central (CRVO), hemicentral (HRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). The reported prevalence of RVO is 5.2/1000 for all types, with 4.42 for BRVO and 0.8 for CRVO(2). Systemic hypertension, hyperlipidemia, increased body mass index, oral contraceptive pills and thrombophilia are important risk factors for BRVO in young patients(3,4). Oral contraceptive pills (OCP) treatment is the most common birth control method. Although well tolerated and with good safety profile, there are a couple of ocular side effects described (retinal vitreous haemorrhage, retinal vascular thrombosis or serous chorioretinopathy). The most severe ocular side effects are thrombosis of central retinal vein or artery or acute ischemic optic neuropathy. However, their incidence is low, approximating 1:10.000 yearly. OCP were found to increase only the risk for retinal vascular lesions, without changing the odds for other eye conditions(5). We present the case of a young patient on OCP without other associated risk factors for thrombosis that was diagnosed with BRVO.