AIM: To explore the correlation between age, OCT characteristics and the efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)drugs in the treatment of macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion(CRVO).

METHODS: Retrospective case-control study. From July 2017 to July 2019,47 eyes of 47 patients with CRVO were included and divided into group A(elderly group, age>50y, n=27)and group B(young and middle-aged group, age≤50y, n=20). All patients were received anti-VEGF therapy(3+PRN)and followed up for at least 12mo. The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), the number of hyper-reflective dots(HRD), the average retinal thickness(ART)and central retinal thickness(CRT)were observed before and after treatment. The number of injections, the recovery rate of outer membrane(ELM)and ellipsoidal zone(EZ)were compared between the two groups, and the related indexes affecting visual prognosis were analyzed.

RESULTS: After anti-VEGF treatment, BCVA was improved, the number of HRD decreased, CRT and ART thinned in both groups. During the follow up of 12mo after treatment, the frequency of injection of anti-VEGF drugs in the elderly group was higher than that in the young and middle-aged group(8.4±2.1 times vs 7.3±1.7 times, P=0.047), but there was no difference in the recovery rates of ELM and EZ between the two groups. BCVA in the elderly group was correlated with the age, HRD, ELM and EZ(all P<0.05). BCVA was correlated with age, ART, HRD, ELM and EZ in young and middle-aged patients(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs can effectively treat macular edema secondary to CRVO and the prognosis of young and middle-aged patients is better than that of elderly patients. Age and OCT indexes such as HRD, ELM and EZ are related to visual prognosis.