[Occlusive retinal vasculopathy with subsequent secondary glaucoma. Demonstration of typical findings and therapeutic...

The etiology of occlusive vascular retinopathy with subsequent neovascular glaucoma has not been clarified even today. If not diagnosed in the early stage therapy is often unsuccessful. Men and women aged between 35 and 65 years are affected with equal frequency. In a group of nine patients presenting at our clinic within three years four had irreversible functional loss by the time of the initial examination. In eyes with better visual function at the time of diagnosis only minimal vision and visual field can be preserved. Even this is only possible with intensive therapeutic efforts. Besides a rapid diagnosis to exclude prior vascular processes that can be treated areas of the retina with reduced perfusion always need to be treated by means of cryo- or lasercoagulation. Adjacently inhibitors of thrombocyte-aggregation to improve perfusion should be administered. Any delay of coagulation should be avoided since resulting secondary glaucoma is very difficult to treat.