Glaucoma, Angle Closure, Chronic Follow-up
- Author: Clement Chee-yung Tham, MA, BM, BCh, FRCS(Glasg); Chief Editor: Hampton Roy Sr, MD more...
Deterrence/Prevention
- The risk factors for the development of angle-closure glaucoma are listed below. Individuals with such risk factors may consider ophthalmological screening.
- Female
- Asian descent
- Increasing age
- Hypermetropia
- Positive family history
- Cataract
- An eye with previous acute primary angle closure has over 50% chance of developing chronic angle-closure glaucoma, despite laser peripheral iridotomy. These patients should be regularly monitored. Preventive measures, such as laser peripheral iridoplasty or lens extraction, may be indicated to lower this risk.
- The fellow eye in a patient with a previous episode of acute primary angle closure (acute glaucoma) has a 50% chance of developing acute primary angle closure in 5 years and should be screened for narrow angle by gonioscopy. Prophylactic laser peripheral iridotomy is often indicated in the fellow eye to prevent acute or progressive angle closure.
Complications
- Cataract can occur with steroid and laser treatment.
Patient Education
- For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Glaucoma Center and Eye and Vision Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Glaucoma Overview, Glaucoma FAQs, Understanding Glaucoma Medications, and How to Instill Your Eyedrops.
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