Methods for making animal models of retinal vein occlusion

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is divided into branch retinal vein occlusion and central retinal vein occlusion. It is characterized by retinal vein dilatation and tortuosity, blood flow stasis, bleeding and edema. It is often accompanied by macular edema (ME) and neovascularization. Neovascular glaucoma is the most serious complications. RVO is the second most common cause of visual loss classified under retinal vascular disorders after diabetic retinopathy. So far, the number of patients suffering from retinal vein occlusion has increased, but the pathogenesis of retinal vein occlusion has not been fully understood and there are no treatments that are very long-lasting. The research of animal models on the pathogenesis and treatment of the RVO is very important. Therefore, this article gives a briefly review to the animals and model making methods used in retinal vein occlusion experiments, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various RVO animal models.