Acute Angle Closure: Mastering Tonometry

​Identifying and managing disease often requires the delicate and skillful use of temperamental emergency department machinery. The ability to apply these may appropriately help determine a difficult diagnosis.Glaucoma, we all know, can cause blindness, and acute narrow angle glaucoma refers to the angles within the eye that are not as wide and open as normal. People with acute angle glaucoma have abnormal anatomy within the eye where the angle changes as the eye is dilated. This can cause blockages of fluid drainage from the anterior to posterior changes resulting in increased intraocular pressure. It ca lead to acute angle closure or crisis if the drainage canals become blocked in an eye with narrow angles. A sudden and rapid increase in the intraocular pressure can lead to a variety of symptoms and cause damage. Damage to the optic nerve can occur and cause permanent blindness if the pressure is high enough.Patients presenting with potential acute angle closure or crisis should be treated without hesitation. Some patients may know their diagnosis, but many may not be aware of the risk. The proper use of the tonopen to measure ocular pressure is crucial to making this diagnosis. Providers must first recognize the classic signs and symptoms of angle closure. Patients often complain of a headache, unilateral eye pain, halos, painful vision, loss of vision, or nausea or vomiting. Patients may have decreased visual acuity or inability to read, an angry red eye, a dilated pupi...
Source: The Procedural Pause - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs