Case Report: Glaucoma in an Infant With Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of childhood blindness that occurs due to incomplete development of retinal blood vessels in preterm infants. Glaucoma is an ocular comorbidity in some patients with ROP, and it may be associated with immature anterior chamber development, ROP itself, or the treatment for ROP. There have been a few reports of narrow-angle glaucoma after laser treatment for ROP. In this case report, we describe the course of a female infant born at 24 weeks and 5 days of gestational age with treatment-requiring ROP treated with laser photocoagulation who subsequently developed very elevated intraocular pressure and shallow anterior chambers without pupillary block. The patient required bilateral ab externo trabeculotomy for elevated intraocular pressure, which normalized after the procedure. The patient has remained stable at the last follow-up at 51 weeks postmenstrual age. Differing from previous glaucoma presentations in this setting, we illustrate a case of elevated intraocular pressure and anterior chamber narrowing after laser therapy without pupillary block or synechiae. The possible multifactorial etiology of glaucoma in this patient, including incomplete angle development, ischemia, and laser treatment, highlight the need for glaucoma screening in patients with ROP, both in the short and long term.

Aphakic Pupillary Block by an Intact Anterior Vitreous Membrane after Total Lens Extraction by Phacoemulsification

An 85-year-old Japanese woman with acute primary angle closure in her right eye underwent cataract extraction. Because of the weakness of the Zinn’s zonules, all of the lens tissue including the lens capsule was removed by phacoemulsification. Because of the absence of vitreous prolapse into the anterior chamber, vitrectomy was not performed. Nine days postoperatively, acute angle closure due to pupillary block by an anterior vitreous membrane developed. To resolve the pupillary block, anterior vitrectomy was performed on the same day. Postoperatively, her symptoms resolved, the anterior chamber deepened, and the intraocular pressure normalized. Although rare, acute angle closure due to pupillary block by an anterior vitreous membrane can occur after total lens extraction with phacoemulsification. If no vitreous prolapse occurs with total lens extraction, an intentional hyaloidotomy using an anterior vitreous cutter or iridectomy should be considered to avoid secondary angle closure.

The mechanism of intraocular pressure rise after keratoplasty

Purpose: To determine the pathomechanism of increased intraocular pressure after penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty based on clinical observation and literature data. Materials and methods: Morphometric analysis of the anterior segment of the eye using spectroscopic optical coherence tomography, gonioscopy and biomicroscopy. Results: Pre- and postoperative spectroscopic optical coherence tomography scans in patients after keratoplasty reveal deformation of the peripheral cornea, narrowing of the iridocorneal angle, presence of anterior synechiae and various types of pupillary block. Conclusions: The mechanism of elevated intraocular pressure after corneal grafting is complex and depends on pre-, intra- and postoperative factors, such as anatomy changes of the iridocorneal angle, presence of anterior synechiae, as well as anterior and posterior pupillary block. Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography plays an important role in diagnosis and further treatment management.