Prospective rationale for and results of argon laser treatment of patients with branch retinal-vein occlusion.

A prospective study of 50 patients with branch retinal-vein occlusion (BRVO) treated using argon laser photocoagulation within one week of initial examination is presented. Some patients had acute manifestations and others intermediate or chronic manifestations of BRVO. In the absence of serious irreparable vascular damage, as the result of the natural history of the disease, patients with acute disease and good prognostic factors receiving early treatment did uniformly well with decreased morbidity and retention of good visual acuity. Seventy percent of patients with chronic disease and good prognostic factors showed improvement in visual acuity following treatment. Because of the variable amount of irreversible damage from vaso-occlusion and poor prognostic factors, and the duration of the disease process, argon laser treatment often gave a relative success or stabilization. In view of the uncertainty of the outcome of the natural history of BRVO, the abbreviated morbidity and the diminution of secondary complications observed following argon laser treatment, early treatment seems to be appropriate for patients suffering from BRVO.