Clinical features of capsular glaucoma in comparison with primary open-angle glaucoma in Japan

Abstract

Clinical features of capsular glaucoma during a recent 15-year period were compared with those of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Out of 1623 new glaucoma patients, 263 patients (16.2%) were capsular glaucoma and 268 (16.5%) were POAG. The patients with capsular glaucoma were older than the patients with POAG. The former had higher intraocular pressure, lower visual acuity, more advanced visual field change and heavier trabecular pigmentation than POAG patients at the time of initial examination. These findings suggest that capsular glaucoma is more difficult to manage than POAG and that the prognosis is poorer than for POAG. Pseudoexfoliative material was found on the pupillary border in 98.3%, on the central lens surface in 46.1%, and on the peripheral lens surface in 72.3%. Though 190 of 263 patients with capsular glaucoma (73.9%) were unilateral cases, 38.9% of the fellow eyes had some abnormalities related to glaucoma. Phakodonesis was found in 10% of patients with capsular glaucoma. This finding suggests that the presence of capsular glaucoma might be a risk factor in cataract surgery.