Pigmentary Glaucoma

[CC08]

Hi all, does anyone have pigmentary glaucoma? I have had an i-stent procedure in right eye 6 weeks ago but it’s not worked as well as hoped so I am scheduled for a trabeculectomy. There seems very little information on this type of glaucoma and patients with this type of glaucoma all seem to be excluded from testing and research on what is successful. Look forward to hearing from you, thanks Clair

[CTinUS]

Hi Clair - I have pigmentary glaucoma, but I don’t have experience with any invasive procedures/surgery. As my pressures rose year before last, it was recommended that I have SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty) on one eye, and that helped a little bit. Trabeculectomy was recommended late last year as my pressures reached upper 20s, but I tried another eye drop (Alphagen-P on top of Cosopt and Travatan) and so far that has kept my IOPs around an acceptable 20.

It is frustrating not being able to find as much information about pigmentary glaucoma as more common types. I’m sorry to hear the I-stent didn’t help you more. It’s my understanding that trab is quite effective these days. I’m just trying to put it off since it might have to be redone in less than 10 years, so I want to avoid that merry go round as long as possible.

I hope you’ll post again. I look forward to hearing how the trab goes for you. Well, I hope! -Cal

[CC08 in reply to CTinUS]

Thank you for your post Cal, I will keep you updated.

[nat10]

I hope you don’t mind me asking , but did your pressure go down at all with the istent? 3weeks after my istent and pressure higher than before,

[CC08 in reply to nat10]

Hi nat10, the pressure has gone down but not as much as the consultant wants it to be. I still don’t have a date for further surgery and I have been trying to look into whether some of these treatments work as well with pigmentary. In my unmedical thoughts surely if the iris flakes block the mesh then they may block the stents etc. I am having SLT laser on left eye on 18th and this does reduce the pressure, last time it was about 20%. I understood the stents take 6-8 weeks to start showing results.

[Joanna_GlaucomaUK Administrator]

Hi Clair,

Thanks for your query. Pigment dispersion glaucoma is less common than some of the other types. It is a type of secondary glaucoma, meaning that the glaucoma is caused by something in particular. Pigment dispersion syndrome occurs when the pigment granules in the iris (the coloured part of your eye) break away and clog up the trabecular meshwork. If the trabecular meshwork is blocked, it is almost impossible for the aqueous to drain effectively and this results in increased eye pressure. This puts extra pressure on the optic nerve and can result in damage to vision.

We have more information about secondary glaucomas on our website glaucoma.uk/about-glaucoma/... or a leaflet which is free to order or download: glaucoma.uk/product/seconda.... We also have information on trabeculectomies and other surgeries on our website - see glaucoma.uk/about-glaucoma/...

If you want to take part in research, this website is helpful: bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/ and in fact there are a couple on there which include people with secondary glaucomas such as yours.

If you have more questions please don't hesitate to get in touch with us or contact our helpline on [e-mail] or 01233 64 81 70.

Many thanks,

Jo

[CC08 in reply to Joanna_GlaucomaUK]

Thank you Jo, I will look into those sites for research and information and appreciate you letting me know about them

[eyesong in reply to CC08]

I have been watching your situation and am curious to see if you get results. I have open angle glaucoma but have always felt I have pigmentary complication, the brown eye color runs into the white of my eye a lot and looks like it is bleeding sometimes. Just my own diagnosis and I forget to ask when I have ck up, after 30 years probably someone would know! I had the SLT and not any reduction but my reports are stable for now on the drops I use. The adjustment time is so difficult with any procedures or changes. Eyesong in TX

[CC08]

Update is, my pressure which started at 32 in my right eye is now at 16 following I-stent op two months ago. The consultant is happy with that and will review in three months. Left eye has crept up to 25 and I had SLT on that yesterday. That will be the second laser treatment, the first one was two and a half years ago. So will see if that helps when checked in four weeks. There seems little research or results as to how long treatments such as stents/trabeculectomy work before the pigment causes issues clogging them as they do the mesh. I feel I am stable for the moment but this seems to change each time I see the consultant. Stay safe and well

[FernoCourts]

I was diagnosed with pre-glaucoma last year. I usually go to the clinic every two months to have my eye pressure checked. I did have a field vision test a few months ago. I have to do another one in April.

I was having problems reading close things, so I went thinking the doctor would tell me that I have far-sightedness. Instead, the doctor said to me about borderline high eye pressure. The doctor also added that he often sees it with people in their 40s.

I'm looking forward to the test next month. Maybe the doctor will recommend having glaucoma treatment.

I usually surf the web and follow blogs to learn about glaucoma treatment

jenkinseyecare.com/procedur...

Thanks, Joanna_GlaucomaUK for sharing the website.

👍