Diurnal Pressure Curve in Surgically Treated Congenital Glaucoma in Comparison to Normal Patients of the Same Age Group

Abstract

It is a widely known fact that the intraocular pressure (Po) changes during the course of the day. The importance of the diurnal pressure curve (DCPo) in the diagnosis and in the control of the treatment in patients with primary glaucoma is recognized by many authors. Nevertheless, we do not know of a systematic study of the DCPo in patients with congenital glaucoma (CG) treated by surgery. We have found only two references in the literature available to us. (1) Thiel (1930) described the oscillations of the Po in an 8-yearold child with ?hydrophthalmus with glaucomatous cup,? who showed a good therapeutic response to pilocarpine and eserine. The behavior of the Po (four measurements/day) was similar to that found in primary glaucoma [2]. Pau (1952) studied the DCPo in ten patients (20 eyes examined) with advanced CG. Of the 20 eyes, three were atrophic and 17 were buphthalmic (three with total cataracts). The age-range was 7-46 years. Only five patients (25%) were surgically treated (Elliot?s trephination). Nine of the eyes were blind (no light perception), one was able to perceive light, six with projection of light, and only four (20%) had vision between 0.02 and 0.3. Pau confirmed the findings of Thiel in relation to the similar behavior of the Po of the primary glaucoma and CG patients.