Glaucoma (cards 32 and on are more to do with visual fields) Flashcards
(83 cards)
What are the 3 broad types of glaucoma?
-open angle
-closed angle
-secondary
what are the 4 types of open angle glaucoma?
-Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG)
-Low tension glaucoma (LTG)/ normal tension glaucoma (NTG)
-Pigment dispersion
-Pseudoexfoliation
what is the biggest risk factor for glaucoma?
age as its a disease of the ageing visual system
why is migraine a risk factor for POAG?
because constricting your peripheral digital arteriole causes similar constriction of the optic nerve which can cause it to become damaged
how does aqueous production and movement in the eye work?
- The ciliary epithelium produces aqueous at 3 ml per minute
- It flows around the iris from the posterior to anterior chamber and then drains through the trabecular meshwork. 3. This is at an angle between the cornea and the iris.
- Then goes into the canal of schlemm to exit the eye.
- The higher the resistance in the trabecular meshwork, the greater the pressure of the eye will be.
in angle closure, the iris itself blocks off the trabecular meshwork
what are some causes of secondary glaucoma?
-uveitis
-trauma
what are the risk factors for primary open angle glaucoma?
-elevated IOP
-older age
-black race
-family history of glaucoma
-myopia
-migraine and vasospasm
what is non conventional outflow?
where aqueous can also exit below the trabecular meshwork in uveal scleral flow.
how does open angle glaucoma come about?
when there’s a gradual increase in resistance of the trabecular meshwork and so IOP gradually builds causing a slow onset POAG. as IOP builds, the optic disk becomes deeper hence increased CD ratio and cupping.
what is the rim of the optic disk?
where the retinal ganglion cells line the inside of the depression of the optic nerve (like a hole in the back of the eye) and the optic disk is where they dont line the cup.
what is BMO?
bruchs membrane opening, determines the edge of the optic disk as its the end of bruch’s membrane
what happens to the lamina cribrosa of a glaucomatous optic nerve
its depth increases
how does the optic nerve/ disk change in glaucoma?
-increased cupping
-increased CD ratio
-optic nerve starts to go pale
-tilted disk
why does tilted optic disk increase risk of glaucoma?
as if it tilts down, the forces acting on the disk cause injury to the axons of the retinal ganglion cells
what are the predisposing factors for developing angle closure glaucoma?
-Headaches
-Halos around bright lights
-Shallow anterior chamber (<1.5mm) (smaller van herrick grade)
-Females
-People with smaller eyes (east asians)
-Convex lens iris diaphragm (where the iris is pushed forward by the aqueous trapped in the anterior chamber which gives it a convex appearance)
what is the grading system used by ophthalmologists to grade glaucoma?
Shaeffer Kanski system
-0 is closed
I shwalbe’s top of Tm
II is where you can see the trabecular meshwork
III is where you can see the scleral spur
IV is where you can see everything so top of scleral body and scleral space
why is anterior segment OCT starting to be done more than gonioscopy?
as it gives you a quantitative view of the corneal angle without being uncomfortable and coming with risk of infection
What is axenfeld anomaly?
an example of an angle issue due to additional tissue forming in the cornea periphery in this case posterior embryotoxon. Can cause a risk of glaucoma as it affects the trabecular meshwork and possibly block it
what is a sign of congenital glaucoma?
a child rubbing their eyes alot due to the wateriness
what is aniridia and how is it linked to glaucoma?
where there is no iris and this can increase risk of glaucoma as it can mean trabecular meshwork also does not properly form.
what is chronic angle closure glaucoma?
where the patient presents with no other symptoms other than somewhat high IOP.
what is a sign of acute primary angle closure?
corneal oedema
what are the signs/ symptoms of congenital glaucoma?
-corneal oedema
-lacrimation
-photophobia
what are the treatment options for glaucoma?
-IOP lowering drops e.g. prostaglandins
-Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) - gold standard of glaucoma surgery
(usually patients have a choice between these two and most will go with drops as they are more familiar)
-Otherwise surgery - a hole is made in the eye to allow excess aqueous to drain but not too much otherwise IOP becomes too low (target pressure is 10mmHg)