ERM Forms Within Three Months in Retinal Vein Occlusion, Study Finds

After diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion is the most common sight-threatening retinal vascular condition. Photo: Joseph W. Sowka, OD. Click image to enlarge. About a third of patients with epiretinal membrane experience vision and image distortion in addition to reduced contrast sensitivity. These membranes are often linked to aging and may develop on their own, but some are triggered by retinal surgery or retinal conditions, such as retinal vein occlusion (RVO). In particular, RVO is thought to stimulate epiretinal membrane formation through inflammatory processes such as VEGF release. The membrane, in turn, may impede delivery of RVO therapy.Using a multinational database, researchers investigated the relationship between these two conditions and whether anti-VEGF treatment affects outcomes in these patients. Their findings were recently published in American Journal of Ophthalmology. The retrospective study compared 19,172 patients with BRVO and 14,974 patients with CRVO with matched controls. The researchers reported over the five-year study period, the retinal vein occlusion cohorts had greater risk for epiretinal membrane formation at three months versus controls. The risk of epiretinal membrane peel was greatest at one year for BRVO and at three years for CRVO. In the secondary analysis, the researchers found that anti-VEGF treatment was linked to higher epiretinal membrane rates at three months in treated BRVO and CRVO cohorts. The incidence of epiretinal membrane peel was highest in treated eyes at five years compared with untreated eyes.The authors concluded that epiretinal membrane typically forms within three months following retinal vein occlusion and that membrane peeling is usually carried out within a year in untreated eyes and five years in eyes treated with anti-VEGF. Importantly, the researchers found that treated eyes had a higher risk for developing epiretinal membrane. They wrote that this “could be influenced by differences in baseline disease severity rather than a clear treatment effect.”Click here for the journal source. Almosa A, Alshaikhsalama AM, Abdi A, et al. Association between retinal vein occlusion and epiretinal membrane development. Am J Ophthalmol 2026. [In Press, February 23, 2026]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.