A Case of Acute Angle-closure Glaucoma Secondary to Spontaneous Suprachoroidal Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of acute angle-closure glaucoma secondary to spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage in a hemodialysis patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 71-year-old man visited our clinic after 3 days of vision loss and ocular pain in the right eye. He had been treated with hemodialysis using heparin due to diabetic nephropathy. Visual acuity (VA) was hand motion in the right eye and 0.2 in the left eye. The intraocular pressure (IOP) was 58 mmHg in the right eye and 15 mmHg in the left eye. Gonioscopic examination revealed a closed angle in the right eye. Fundus examination of the right eye showed a massive hemorrhagic retinal detachment and ultrasound sonography revealed a dome-shaped retinal detachment with suprachoroidal hemorrhage in the right eye. The patient was treated with topical aqueous suppressants and cycloplegics. After two weeks of medical treatment, VA in the right eye was still hand motion and IOP was 8 mmHg. Gonioscopic examination showed a wide-open angle in the right eye. During the two-month observation period, VA in the right eye did not recover, however there was no sign of IOP elevation or symptoms of ocular pain. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage can occur in patients who receive hemodialysis with heparin. This spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage can be subsequently accompanied by acute angle-closure glaucoma. Spontaneous decrease of suprachoroidal hemorrhage, loss of angle-closure, and decline of IOP can be expected by treating with topical aqueous suppressants and cycloplegics.