Emergency Treatment of Acute Closed Angle Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disorder that causes unusually high pressure inside the eye. Acute angle closure glaucoma is a dangerous form of this condition that requires emergency medical treatment in a hospital emergency room or ophthalmologist's office when symptoms occur.

Symptoms

• According to the Mayo Clinic, the signs of acute angle closure glaucoma include severe eye pain, vomiting and nausea. Patients with this condition may also notice sudden visual disturbances, eye reddening and halos around the eyes.

Medication

• Doctors begin emergency treatment of the acute closed angle type of glaucoma with medications that quickly reduce pressure in the eye.

Iridotomy

• The dangerous eye pressure of acute angle closure glaucoma is relieved with an iridotomy, a medical procedure in which a hole is burned in the iris of the affected eye to allow aqueous humor to pass into the eye's trabecular meshwork.

Followup Treatment

• Doctors often recommend that an iridotomy be performed on the unaffected eye at a later date to prevent an attack of acute angle closure glaucoma in that eye.

Glaucoma Risk Factors

• People over the age of 60, African-Americans and individuals with a family history of glaucoma have a greater risk of developing this disorder. Individuals at greater risk of glaucoma should have annual eye exams that include eye-pressure tests.