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MALIGNANT GLAUCOMA RELATED TO PRIMARY ANGLE CLOSURE GLAUCOMA
Author(s) -
Lowe Ronald F.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
australian journal of opthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.3
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1442-9071
pISSN - 0310-1177
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9071.1979.tb01454.x
Subject(s) - glaucoma , medicine , ophthalmology , open angle glaucoma , angle closure glaucoma , incidence (geometry) , optics , physics
Summary In 800 cases of primary angle closure glaucoma, the overall incidence of malignant glaucoma was 0.6%. From 465 iridectomies for treatment, there was only one (0.2%), and from 427 filtering operations the incidence was only 0.7% (This should not be construed as showing the relative difference in risk between peripheral iridectomy and filtering operations, because most of the iridectomies had open angles at the time of operation, whereas most of the eyes that required filtering operations had more severe acute glaucoma with angles that remained closed.) The risk of malignant glaucoma is sufficiently low that filtering operations for closed angle glaucoma should not be avoided on this account. In the absence of subsequent glaucoma, no malignant glaucoma occurred with 372 prophylactic peripheral iridectomies. The multifactorial nature of malignant glaucoma is discussed. Laxity of the zonule is important, and this can occur as the result of severe and prolonged angle closure glaucoma. Future treatment should be more optimistic.