Malignant glaucoma induced by an intraocular lens

Abstract

A case of malignant (ciliary block) glaucoma apparently induced by a large posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) is presented. The involved eye was small, with an axial length of 21.7 mm and a preoperative refractive error of +8.25 D. An uncomplicated extracapsular cataract extraction with implantation of a PC-IOL with a 7 mm optic was performed. Within 1 week postoperatively, malignant glaucoma developed, for which surgical intervention was required. We recommend avoiding implantation of PC-IOLs with large optics in certain small eyes, since these implants may be more likely than lenses with smaller optics to induce malignant glaucoma in such eyes.