Atypical phacolytic glaucoma diagnosed by biometry and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a...

To report a case of phacolytic glaucoma with atypical presentation in a patient which was diagnosed with biometry swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and anterior segment spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT).

A 56-year-old male with a history of cytomegalovirus (CMV) chronic anterior uveitis in the right eye presented with a white cataract, minimal anterior chamber reaction and intraocular pressure (IOP) of 56 mmHg. Visual acuity was light perception. The anterior chamber was deep, without evidence of macroscopically visible capsular rupture. A surgical intervention was necessitated with the puzzle being whether to proceed with a trabeculectomy or a combined phaco-trabeculectomy. After a routine preoperative assessment with intraocular lens Master700, the disintegration of the natural lens was noticed. Anterior segment Spectralis OCT confirmed a lamellar separation of the anterior one third of the lens, resembling a poultaceous material. After an uneventful phacoemulsification, visual acuity was 6/6, IOP was well-controlled on maximum topical antiglaucoma treatment and no CMV recurrence was observed.

The diagnosis of phacolytic glaucoma was established with the aid of current imaging OCT systems. Both OCT images were suggestive of a phacolytic nature of our case, despite the fact that the clinical presentation was not in concordance with such a typical case. In view of our findings the decision was to proceed with cataract extraction alone.

This is the first time that we image and document the phacolytic nature of a natural lens. Our patient did not have the typical clinical presentation and was differentially diagnosed with biometry SS-OCT and confirmed by anterior segment SD-OCT.