Retinal vein occlusion is the most common retinal vascular disease. Macular edema and retinal ischemia is the main cause of vision loss. The occurrence and development of retinal vein occlusion is the pathophysiological process many factors involve in. With the progress of cytobiology and molecular biologytechnology, detecting the levels of cytokines have become an important aspect in the study of retinal vein occlusion. The article illustrates cytokines associated with retinal vein occlusion and mentions the prospectsin the future.