What is pigment dispersion glaucoma?

Learn about a form of glaucoma that results from pigment granules that flake off from the iris (the colored part of the eye) and clog the eye’s drainage system, thereby resulting in high eye pressure, and subsequent damage to the optic nerve.

How is pigment dispersion syndrome diagnosed?

This is checked using a special lens and is called gonioscopy. The presence of two or more of these key features — krukenberg spindle, iris transillumination defects, and excessive pigmentation on gonioscopy — confirm the diagnosis of pigment dispersion syndrome.

What is pigment dispersion?

Pigment-dispersion syndrome is an eye disorder that occurs when pigment granules that normally adhere to the back of the iris (the colored part of the eye) flake off into the clear fluid produced by the eye (aqueous humor).

What causes iris transillumination?

Known causes of acquired iris atrophy with or without transillumination of the iris include herpetic iridocyclitis, pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS), pseudoexfoliation syndrome, Fuchs uveitis syndrome, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, trauma, and acute angle-closure glaucoma.

Can you go blind from pigmentary glaucoma?

Blindness due to pigmentary glaucoma is rare. In a study of 113 patients with PDS and pigmentary glaucoma, 3 eyes in 2 patients were blind. Progression of the disease, however, is common. Ten percent of patients with PDS progressed to pigmentary glaucoma at 5 years and 15% developed pigmentary glaucoma by 10 years.

What causes pigment dispersion?

The cause of pigment dispersion is a mechanical rubbing between two ocular structures: the IRIS and ZONULES. The iris is the colored part of the eye. It constricts and dilates to change the size of the pupil (depending upon the surrounding light).

Is pigment dispersion syndrome rare?

Pigment Dispersion Syndrome is an uncommon condition. Most commonly affected are nearsighted males between the ages of 30 and 50. It is also more common in Europeans. The cause of pigment dispersion is a mechanical rubbing between two ocular structures: the IRIS and ZONULES.

What does pigmentary glaucoma look like?

Pigmentary glaucoma is a type of secondary open-angle glaucoma characterized by heavy homogenous pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork, iris transillumination defects, and pigment along the corneal endothelium (Krukenberg spindle).

What does pigment changes in the eye mean?

While most people develop some very small drusen as a normal part of aging, the presence of medium-to-large drusen may indicate that you have macular degeneration. Another sign of macular degeneration is the appearance of pigment changes in the retina.

What is iris transillumination defects?

Definition. Transmission of light through the iris as visualized upon slit lamp examination or infrared iris transillumination videography. The light passes through defects in the pigmentation of the iris. [ from HPO]

How do you do iris transillumination?

Iris transillumination requires an undilated pupil and is created by making an axial light beam shine into the small pupil and reflect off the retina. The beam aperture should match the pupil size or be smaller than the pupil to avoid iris reflections.

Is pigmentary glaucoma rare?

Where does the Krukenberg’s spindle get its name?

Krukenberg’s spindle. Krukenberg’s spindle is the name given to the pattern formed on the inner surface of the cornea by pigmented iris cells that are shed during the mechanical rubbing of posterior pigment layer of the iris with the zonular fibrils that are deposited as a result of the currents of the aqueous humor.

How is Krukenberg’s spindle formed in the cornea?

Krukenberg’s spindle is the name given to the pattern formed on the inner surface of the cornea by pigmented iris cells that are shed during the mechanical rubbing of posterior pigment layer of the iris with the zonules that are deposited as a result of the currents of the aqueous humor.

What kind of treatment does Krukenberg spindle use?

Krukenberg spindle treatment Treatment for pigmentary glaucoma and pigment dispersion syndrome is similar to the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma, though laser iridotomy may be considered as a prophylactic treatment. Men and persons of African descent often present with advanced disease, and may require more aggressive therapy 51).

How is Krukenberg spindle related to pigment dispersion syndrome?

Pigment dispersion syndrome is diagnosed clinically based on the presence of iris transillumination defects in the mid-peripheral iris, pigment on the corneal endothelium (Krukenberg spindle, vertically oriented due to convection currents), and heavy pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork.