Incidence, management, and outcomes of traumatic glaucoma in a tertiary eye hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, demographic, and epidemiological data for glaucoma developing after ocular trauma (open and closed globe injuries; all age groups) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We also explored the different management strategies in detail. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 80 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of traumatic glaucoma treated at the largest tertiary eye hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2021. The incidence of glaucoma after ocular trauma, patients’ demographic characteristics, average duration between ocular trauma and glaucoma diagnosis, other ocular pathologies associated with glaucoma, and different management strategies were evaluated. Results The incidence of secondary traumatic glaucoma was 20.5%, with the majority of affected patients (nearly 88%) aged < 30 years. The mean interval between ocular trauma and glaucoma diagnosis was 25.35 ± 46.53 months (range: 0.1–240 months). Open globe injury and closed globe injury had occurred in 58.8% and 41.3% of patients, respectively; 77.5% of patients were diagnosed with secondary open-angle glaucoma, whereas 22.5% were diagnosed with secondary acute angle-closure glaucoma. Angle recession accounted for nearly 41% cases. Conclusion Traumatic glaucoma is a vast topic of study. This study revealed that secondary traumatic glaucoma is not uncommon and frequently shows late onset after the trauma. It is associated with abnormalities involving visual acuity and intraocular pressure and can be managed by single or multiple treatments with or without surgery. Prognosis is often unfavorable depending on various risk factors.