[Biometric data of eyes after the onset of acute glaucoma]

Biometric measurements were performed in 67 patients after acute glaucoma and in 67 patients of a matched control group. For patients with acute glaucoma the subjective refraction was +0.91 +/- 2.82 dpt, ocular axial length was 21.73 +/- 0.96 mm, lens thickness was 4.95 +/- 0.63 mm and the ratio lens thickness to ocular axial length amounted to 2.27 +/- 0.29. There was a statistically significant difference between the glaucoma and the control group concerning the parameters subjective refraction, ocular axial length, lens thickness and the lens thickness to axial length ratio. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between corneal radius and axial length, both, in the control and the glaucoma group, a significant negative correlation between axial length and subjective refraction only in the control group. In contrast to other authors, who reported on patients with narrow angle glaucoma with and without acute attack; we found no significant difference. These results support the suggestion that biometric data do not allow a prediction whether a patient with narrow anterior chamber angle will suffer glaucoma attack or not. The etiology of this disease seems to have a multifactorial origin.