[The frequency of acute glaucoma crises. Implications for the detection of the risk of angle-closure]

Over a 5 year period 61 patients with acute angle closure glaucoma have been registered in Department Savoie (323,675 inhabitants). The annual incidence is therefore 3,8/100,000. The mean age is 70 years. In each age class the incidence for women is approximately 3 times that for men. The geographic distribution parallels that of the whole population. There is no seasonal variation of incidence. 9 cases only (15%) could be considered as drug-induced. The prevalence of shallow anterior-chamber (less than 2.2 mm) and Van Herrick sign in the general population shows that the latter sign implies a 50% risk of acute angle closure, and is therefore well suited for the detection of patients at risk.