The biomechanical parameters of the eye in various stages of infantile glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose: to study the interrelation between the biomechanical and the biometric parameters of the eye in different stages of infantile glaucoma. Material and methods. A total of 19 patients (37 eyes) aged from 3 to 10 years with a non-operated primary infantile glaucoma were examined. Of these 6 patients (9 eyes) had initial stage, 7 patients (9 eyes) had advanced stage), 6 patients (9 eyes) had far advanced stage, and 7 patients (10 eyes) had terminal stage, respectively. A combination of different stages of the disease was found in 11 children, while 8 children had the same stage of the disease in both eyes. Examination methods included visometry, ophthalmoscopy, determining the excavation of the optic disc, A-scan recording the anterior-posterior axis (APA) of the eye, Filatov - Kalfa elastotonometry with weights of 5 g, 10 g, 15 g. Results. The gradient of elastic curve rise was noted in all stages, but it was the highest in the terminal stage, where APA was greater according to the severity of the disease. APA and elastic curve raise was found to correlate in the far-advanced and the terminal stages of glaucoma. Conclusion. The changes in the biomechanical properties of the fibrous membrane of the eye in children with infantile glaucoma depend on the severity of the disease, which is manifested in changes in the biometric parameters. Sclera rigidity is reduced in the far-advanced and terminal stages of infantile glaucoma, which can lead to an underestimation of the true level of IOP and the risk of glaucoma development in children // Russian ophthalmological journal. 2017; 10 (2): 68-70. doi: 10.21516/2072-0076-2017-10-2-68-70.