Case report highlights BRVO after COVID-19 infection treated with aflibercept

A male patient, 65 years old, arrived at the emergency department with a complaint of blurry vision in his left eye over the past three days. The patient had recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection and received a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test two days after the onset of symptoms. There were no notable family or medical history issues. Following an ophthalmological examination and imaging, it was discovered that the patient had branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) accompanied by macular edema in the left eye, while the right eye appeared normal. The patient’s visual acuity was measured at 6/6 for the right eye and 6/36 for the left eye. Laboratory tests, as well as a comprehensive evaluation of cardiovascular health and thrombophilia, yielded normal results.

The patient underwent a single intravitreal aflibercept injection (2.0 mg/0.05 ml), which successfully resolved the macular edema. There was a notable improvement in visual acuity in the left eye, going from 6/36 at the start to 6/9 one month after the injection.

Given the absence of known risk factors for BRVO, the authors postulate a potential link between the condition and the patient’s recent COVID-19 infection. However, the causality between the two remains under investigation.

Reference
Kapsis P, Agapitou C, Dimitriou E, et al. Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion After COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report. Cureus. 2023;15(4):e38172. doi: 10.7759/cureus.38172. PMID: 37252587; PMCID: PMC10219685.