Chandlers Disease

Chandlers syndrome is a rare disorder of the eye that affects the cornea and iris. It is part of a spectrum of conditions called iridocorneal endothelial syndrome (ICE). Chandlers syndrome may result in eye pain, impaired vision and glaucoma.

ICE

• The main features of ICE are swelling of the cornea, visible changes in the iris and the eventual development of glaucoma from fluid buildup. The other syndromes in the ICE spectrum are Cogan-Reese syndrome (also known as iris nevus) and progressive iris atrophy. The difference between these two syndromes and Chandlers is that Chandlers has relatively more effect on the cornea and less on the iris.

Characteristics

• Chandlers syndrome is characterized by the movement of endothelial cells off of the cornea and onto the iris. This causes the cornea to swell with fluid, and also causes some visible distortion of the iris. The corneal swelling leads to glaucoma. The glaucoma in turn causes vision impairment and pain in the eye. Chandlers syndrome usually only affects one eye, but can progress to the other eye if left untreated for too long. Chandlers syndrome is considered very rare.

Risk Factors

• Chandlers syndrome is more common in women than in men, and is usually diagnosed in middle-aged patients. The cause is unknown, and most people who have the syndrome do not have a family history of it.

Symptoms

• Chandlers syndrome causes glaucoma (high pressure in the eye) which usually leads to blurred vision, swelling of the cornea, and the drying and shrinking of the iris (the colored part of the eye). The pressure of the glaucoma and the leaking of fluid within the eye can cause pain.

Treatment and Prognosis

• Treatment of Chandlers syndrome is case-specific, depending on the severity of the symptoms. The most common treatment is glaucoma medication. While there is no cure for Chandlers syndrome, many patients respond well to glaucoma treatment, especially if the syndrome is caught early in its progression.