Intraocular pressures in children with glaucoma during halothane anesthesia

Thirty measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP) were performed on 10 children either with congenital or secondary glaucoma, before and after halothane anesthesia. In 7 normal eyes, IOP decreased a mean of 3 mm Hg, while in 23 glaucomatous eyes, mean IOP decreased from 43 to 34 mm Hg. In 5 of the 23 glaucomatous eyes, IOP decreased below 25 mm Hg and in only one patient below 21 mm Hg. Our findings indicate that an abnormally elevated IOP during halothane anesthesia suggests a glaucomatous process. A normal IOP during halothane does not absolutely preclude the absence of glaucoma. Intraocular pressure greater than 21 mm Hg during halothane anesthesia should be viewed with suspicion when coupled with other clinical observations of pathologic significance. Awake, sedated IOP measurements appeared to provide a reliable index of glaucoma in the population studied.