Why is there an Association between Retinal Vein Occlusion, Vision Loss, Myocardial Infarction, Stroke and Mortality: Potential Roles of Hypomagnesaemia, Release of Sphingolipids, and Platelet-Activating Factor

Although numerous hypotheses (and potential risk factors), have been offered to explain the origins and potential mechanism(s) for central retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in patients of diverse ages, there is no agreement. Recently, considerable epidemiological evidence has been brought forth which indicates a strong association between RVO, myocardial infarctions, heart failure, and stroke. Magnesium (Mg) deficiency (mgD) has long-been associated with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Over the past three decades, our laboratories have found strong associations of mgD linked to morbidity/ mortality in cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarctions, cardiac failure, atherogenesis, and strokes, both experimentally and clinically. More recently, we have reported direct links of mgD in these disease syndromes with generation and release of ceramides and platelet-activating factor (PAF). In this report, we present a novel hypothesis for a probable underlying mgD and release of ceramides and PAF as causal factors in development and progression of RVO. We believe this hypothesis could prove useful in the diagnosis and treatment of RVO Keywords: Glaucoma; Diabetic retinopathy; Ceramides; PAF; Microcirculation; Eye diseases