Purpose  

To investigate the long-term clinical course of acute primary angle closure (APAC) and acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (APACG) in Japanese patients.

Methods  

We retrospectively reviewed our records of 66 consecutive APAC or APACG eyes observed between February 1992 and December 2003 (mean follow-up, 42.1 months). Immediately after the diagnosis, all patients had received similar medications to halt the acute attack. Subsequently, laser iridotomy or surgical peripheral iridectomy and/or laser iridoplasty were conducted. If intraocular pressure (IOP) control was poor under maximum tolerable ocular hypotensive agents, trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin C (MMC) was undertaken.

Results  

After laser therapy, the probability of success, defined as an IOP of <21 mmHg with or without medications, was 81.2% ± 6.2%. In the ten eyes that were trabeculectomized, the probability of success based on the same criterion was 40.0% ± 29.7%. Multivariate analysis revealed that the degree of synechial angle closure (P = 0.029) and the preexistence of chronic glaucomatous optic neuropathy (P = 0.015) significantly influenced the need for subsequent filtering surgery.

Conclusions  

Without the intervention of filtering surgery, 84.6% of eyes with APAC or APACG maintained IOP control with or without antiglaucoma medications. However, APAC and APACG eyes that eventually received trabeculectomy were predisposed to an uncontrollable IOP, even with the intraoperative application of MMC. The severity of APAC or APACG in Japanese may be affected by an underlying creeping angle closure. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2007;51:353–359 © Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2007