ACUTE CLOSED ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Course overview

ACUTE ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA IS AN OCULAR EMERGENCY THAT RESULTS FROM A RAPID INCREASE IN INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE DUE TO OUTFLOW OBSTRUCTION OF AQUEOUS HUMOR. SEVERAL FACTORS LEAD TO THE OBSTRUCTION IN ACUTE ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA, BUT THE MAJOR PREDISPOSING FACTOR IS THE STRUCTURAL ANATOMY OF THE ANTERIOR CHAMBER, LEADING TO A SHALLOWER ANGLE BETWEEN THE IRIS AND THE CORNEA. ACUTE ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA PRESENTS AS A SUDDEN ONSET OF SEVERE UNILATERAL EYE PAIN OR A HEADACHE ASSOCIATED WITH BLURRED VISION, RAINBOW-COLORED HALOS AROUND BRIGHT LIGHTS, NAUSEA, AND VOMITING. THE PHYSICAL EXAM WILL REVEAL A FIXED MIDPOINT PUPIL AND A HAZY OR CLOUDY CORNEA WITH MARKED CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.