Association of fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy with angle-closure glaucoma

Abstract

A series of 34 patients with Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy was studied to investigate a possible association with hypermetropia and angleclosure glaucoma. The refraction, axial length, anterior chamber depth, and prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma of the patients were compared with those of a control group of 56 patients. Twelve of 34 patients with Fuchs' dystrophy (35.3%) had had attacks of angle-closure glaucoma requiring iridectomy in the past. Fuchs' dystrophy patients had a shorter axial length (mean, 22.5 mm; range, 19.8-25.6) and a shallower anterior chamber (mean, 2.4 mm; range, 1.8-3.45), as well as a higher frequency of hypermetropia than the control group patients (axial length: mean, 23.7 mm; range, 21.4-28.1; anterior chamber depth: mean 2.87 mm; range, 2.2-4.0). Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy patients have a high incidence of angle-closure glaucoma because of their high incidence of axial hypermetropia and shallow anterior chamber.