Study of clinical profile in cases of secondary glaucoma at a tertiary hospital

Glaucoma accounts for 15% of global blindness. Secondary glaucoma, that is, glaucoma resulting from numerous ocular or systemic disorders, shows poor intraocular pressure (IOP) control with ocular hypotensive agents or filtering surgery in late stages. The present study was aimed to study the clinical profile of patients with secondary glaucoma at a tertiary hospital.

The present study was a single-center, cross-sectional, observational study, conducted in patients with raised IOP associated with an antecedent cause or ocular pathology visiting the department of ophthalmology, a tertiary care center in western India.

A total of 70 eyes of 70 patients were included in the study, out of which 38 (54.3%) were males, and majority of patients were between 41 and 60 years of age (44.3%). Common causes of secondary glaucoma were inflammatory glaucoma (22.9%), psuedophakic glaucoma (17.1%), postkeratoplasty glaucoma (15.7%), postvitreoretinal surgery glaucoma (10%), steroid-induced glaucoma (10%), and lens-induced glaucoma (7.1%). Best-corrected visual acuity was <6/60 in 27 (38%) patients, 6/60 - 6/18 in 34 (48.6%), and better than 6/18 in nine (12.9%) patients. The highest recorded IOP was more than 50 mmHg in 11.4% of patients, 31-50 mmHg in 20%, and <30 mmHg in 68.6% of patients. Forty-nine (75.4%) patients had open angles, and 16 (24.6%) had angle closure on examination.

Anterior segment inflammation is the most common cause of inflammatory glaucoma. Patients with silicon oil as a vitreous substitute are at a higher risk of developing postvitreoretinal surgery glaucoma.