The concentration of intraocular cytokines exhibited a substantial correlation with the macular structure and the extent of microvascular damage surrounding the macula in CRVO-ME patients.
Central retinal thickness (CRT) was significantly positively correlated with both IL-6 and VEGF concentrations in CRVO-ME patients.
FAZ (Foveal avascular zone) area was significantly positively correlated with VEGF concentration in CRVO-ME patients.
Superficial capillary plexus vascular density (SCP-VD) was significantly negatively correlated with IL-6 concentration in CRVO-ME patients.
Aqueous humor from CRVO-ME patients contained measurable concentrations of six cytokines: IL-6, IL-8, VEGF, VCAM, PGF, and MCP-1.
The study employed both OCT and OCTA imaging to simultaneously capture structural and vascular biomarkers in a 6 mm × 6 mm macular region.
This research suggests that specific inflammatory and growth-related proteins found in the fluid inside the eye (aqueous humor) are linked to measurable damage in the retina of patients with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion-Macular Edema (CRVO-ME), a condition where a blocked vein in the retina causes fluid buildup and vision problems. The study found that two proteins in particular—IL-6 (an inflammatory marker) and VEGF (a protein that promotes abnormal blood vessel growth)—were associated with greater retinal swelling, while higher IL-6 levels were also linked to reduced blood vessel density near the center of the retina. VEGF was additionally linked to enlargement of the foveal avascular zone, a critical area at the center of vision with no blood vessels, suggesting more extensive vascular damage. The study measured six different cytokines (cell-signaling proteins) in aqueous humor samples from 20 patients and compared these levels to imaging findings from OCT and OCTA scans. Of the six cytokines measured—IL-6, IL-8, VEGF, VCAM, PGF, and MCP-1—only IL-6 and VEGF showed statistically significant correlations with the imaging biomarkers, while the others did not reach significance in this small sample. This research suggests that measuring IL-6 and VEGF levels in the eye may help clinicians better understand the degree of retinal structural damage and microvascular injury in CRVO-ME patients. Since VEGF is already a major target for existing treatments (anti-VEGF injections), these findings reinforce the relevance of VEGF monitoring, while also highlighting IL-6 as a potentially important inflammatory contributor. However, the small sample size of 20 patients means these findings should be interpreted cautiously and warrant confirmation in larger studies.
Gao J, Pang H, Zhang W, Feng M, Wang T. (2026). Correlation between aqueous humour cytokine and imaging biomarker in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion-Macular Edema.. BMC ophthalmology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-026-05200-1