Rare form of glaucoma may follow head injury or cataract surgery
Lens-particle glaucoma may develop when fragments of the lens become dislocated during surgery or after an eye injury.
The crystalline lens, commonly called the lens, is located behind the pupil and includes a soft outer area with a harder nucleus in the center. Tiny lens debris breaks into small, sometimes invisible, particles that eventually migrate into the anterior chamber. There, these bits of lens may be reabsorbed or flushed out.
If the pieces block drainage channels within the eye, it can cause elevated eye pressure, and later, glaucoma. High pressure inside the eye can damage the optic nerve and eventually result in blindness. Although high pressure inside the eye, optic nerve damage, and vision loss are not all required to diagnose glaucoma, a diagnosis of glaucoma is often determined when all three are present.
The exact rate of lens-particle glaucoma in the U.S. is unknown. It is thought to affect males and females of any race, and most often the elderly as a rare complication of cataract surgery. Lens-particle glaucoma is assumed to develop more often due to an injury or head trauma that directly damages the lens.
Without surgery or injury, lens-particle glaucoma cannot develop so it is a rare form of glaucoma. The condition may also be called lens-induced glaucoma, phacolytic glaucoma, phacoanaphylaxis, phacomorphic glaucoma, or ectopia lentis.
When to Seek Medical Care
Any type of glaucoma rarely causes symptoms until it is very advanced. However, if eye pressure is very elevated, or increases suddenly, a person may experience:
- Eye pain
- Redness
- Blurry vision
- Tearing
- Sensitivity to light
If you or a family member experiences any of these symptoms, particularly after eye surgery or a head injury, contact your ophthalmologist (eye doctor) immediately.
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Regular eye exams important
Regular dilated eye exams are important to screen for eye diseases, especially since the onset of lens-particle glaucoma can occur weeks, months or years after surgery or head injury.
Questions to ask your ophthalmologist during the exam are:
- Is my eye pressure elevated?
- Are there any signs of internal eye damage due to a previous surgery or an injury?
- Did you find any optic nerve abnormalities?
- Is my peripheral vision normal?
- Is medication or more surgery necessary?
- How often should I have follow-up exams?
Exams and Tests
There are several tests to screen for lens-particle glaucoma:
The high eye pressure that often comes with lens-particle glaucoma often responds to treatment with medicated eye drops.
If an ophthalmologist prescribes medicated eye drops to help lower your eye pressure, it is important to consistently follow the instructions. Not using the eye drops, or using the medicine sporadically, may result in even higher eye pressure, and eventually, permanent vision loss.
