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Sep 25, 2002 ... Dr. Elliot Werner: Secondary glaucoma is a glaucoma due to some other identifiable eye or systemic disease, such as uveitis, trauma, ...
Question
Hello Dr. Alpar,
One year ago I was punched twice in the eye and I didn't seek medical attention. The injury caused a chronic dull pain in that eye and a sharp pain whenever I looked up, down, to the side, or blew my nose. The eyball was red. All these symptoms lasted about two weeks. Since then, from time to time, I get a dull ache in that eye and my vision in that eye is now 20/30 when it has always been 20/20. My question is: should I worry about getting secondary glaucoma in the near future? I know that there is an increased risk for the disease after trauma but I don't know if the disease would materialize soon after the injury or decades later. Also, if the diminished visual acuity was caused by the injury, would it ever return to 20/20 on its own? Thank you
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Jul 26, 2009 ... Neovascular glaucoma is a severe type of secondary glaucoma that can .... When the lens capsule is ruptured due to trauma or surgery the ...
Answer
Kevin,
Three things can happen if you get punched in the eye.
1) You can get a traumatic iritis or inflammation in the eye. This can cause the iris, the colored part of the eye, to become stuck to the lens inside the eye. This in turn can cause an angle closure glaucoma. Inflammatory cells and/or red blood cells can also block the meshwork where the fluid leaves the eye, causing an inflammatory glaucoma. The pain is severe and does not go away without treatment.
2) The meshwork and the base of the iris can become dammaged. This is called "angle recession". People with traumatically recess angles can develope glaucoma decades after the injury.
3) The eyeball itself can be force back into the eye socket (orbit) and cause the thin bones that surround the eyes and sinuses to break. This is called a blowout fracture. The muscles that move the eye can be trapped in the fracture and cause double vision is certain postions of gaze. A thin section CT scan would pick up the blowout fractures. If you still have pain when you blow your nose, get a CT scan of your orbits.
I don't know why your vision is 20/30. If you damaged the retina, it probably will not return to 20/20. If the blow was severe enough, it could have caused a traumatic cataract. Some people become a little near sighted after injury and glasses will return the vision to 20/20.
See an eye doctor and get a comprehensive, dilated eye exam.
IMHO
Andrew J. Alpar, OD, FAAO
