[Effectiveness of the system for predicting the risk of developing an acute angle closure glaucoma attack]

One of the most severe urgent conditions of the eye capable of leading to untreatable blindness is an acute attack of glaucoma. This condition is an acute decompensation of eye hydrodynamics, which develops with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Detectability of PACG is only high at the sudden development of an acute attack, which can cause a sharp decrease or even irreversible loss of vision.

To assess the effectiveness of predicting the development of PACG in eyes with short anterior-posterior axis.

The study included 69 patients (90 eyes) aged 46 to 80 years with short anterior-posterior axis. We used our own mathematical formulas for calculating the risk of PACG development. According to these formulas, two groups of patients with high risk of PACG were selected. Patients of the main group underwent cataract phacoemulsification for preventive purposes, while patients of the comparison group did not undergo any operative treatment.

In the long-term, PACG did not develop in the patients of the main group. Patients of the comparison group refused to undergo cataract phacoemulsification, and had PACG develop in 38% of cases in the long-term follow-up.

The high efficiency of the developed screening model for estimating the risk of PACG developing in eyes with short anterior-posterior axis has been proved. Preventive cataract phacoemulsification in the eyes with a high risk of PACG development in all cases helped to avoid it, retaining and even improving visual functions.