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A case of retinal vein occlusion from high-altitude exposure

Holly L Hutton, Randev Mendis and Lyndell L Lim
Med J Aust 2012; 197 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/mja12.11277
Published online: 10 December 2012

To the Editor: We describe a case of unilateral central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in a 29-year-old woman during exposure to high altitude. She complained of blurred vision in her left eye, first noted when trekking to a maximum altitude of 6189 metres in Nepal 2 months earlier. She was not hypertensive and was not taking any medication, and had no previous history of thrombosis.


  • 1 Department of Renal Medicine (Nephrology), Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC.
  • 2 Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT.
  • 3 Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: hollylhutton@gmail.com

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Butler FK, Harris DJ Jr, Reynolds RD. Altitude retinopathy on Mount Everest, 1989. Ophthalmology 1992; 99: 739-746.
  • 2. Gupta A, Singh S, Ahluwalia TS, Khanna A. Retinal vein occlusion in high altitude. High Alt Med Biol 2011; 12: 393-397.
  • 3. Anand AC, Jha SK, Saha A, et al. Thrombosis as a complication of extended stay at high altitude. Natl Med J India 2001; 14: 197-201.
  • 4. Gaudard A, Varlet-Marie E, Monnier JF, et al. Exercise-induced central retinal vein thrombosis: possible involvement of hemorheological disturbances. A case report. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc 2002; 27: 115-122.
  • 5. Government of Nepal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Nepal tourism statistics 2011 (annual statistical report). http://tourism.gov.np/uploaded/fullpage.pdf (accessed Nov 2012).

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