Morphometric Features Of The Structures Of The Anterior Segment Of The Eyes With High Degrees Of Hypermetropia, Forming An Increased Risk Of An Acute Attack Of Angle-Closure Glaucoma

In-depth assessment of the morphometric features of the structures of the anterior segment of the eyes with a short anteroposterior axis (APA) of the eye in young people between the ages of 35 and 45 years to identify signs of increased risk of developing an acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma.

The study included160 eyes (80 patients) with APA less than 22 mm and high degree hyperopia: 1^st group – 27 patients (54 eyes) from 35 to 40 years old; 2^nd group – 27 patients (54 eyes) from 41 to 45 years old. The comparison group included 26 patients (52 eyes) with the initial stage of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) aged 45 to 50 years. 

Using the IOL MASTER 700 (Carl Zeiss®), the following were studied: anteroposterior axis of the eye, the depth of the anterior chamber of the eye in the central zone, and the choroidal thickness in the optical zone. Using a rotating Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam, Oculus, Germany), the volume of the anterior chamber and the depth of the anterior chamber in the periphery were studied.

In the 2^nd group a statistically significant decrease in the depth of the anterior chamber and a significant increase in the choroidal thickness were revealed.

 In the comparison group versus 2^nd group, a statistically significant increase in choroidal thickness, a decrease in the depth of the anterior chamber in the periphery and the volume of the anterior chamber were noted. In 2 eyes of one patient, 39 years old, 1^st group, the maximum closeness of all 3 indicators to the median values of the PACG group was found; in another 4 eyes of 2 patients (39 and 40 years old) of the 1st group, a combination of a small volume of the anterior chamber with an increased choroidal thickness or a small volume of the anterior chamber with a small anterior chamber in the periphery was noted.

Significant differences were found in the choroidal thickness, the depth of the anterior chamber in the periphery and the volume of the anterior chamber between comparable healthy individuals with short APA and patients with the initial stage of PACG. In 11% of eyes of healthy people with hypermetropia aged 35 to 45 years, there was a combination of two or three of the studied morphometric features, which may indicate an increased risk of developing an acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma.