Is glaucoma ever of sympathetic origin? / by David Webster.

  • Webster, David, 1842-1923.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Is glaucoma ever of sympathetic origin? / by David Webster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    sympathetic glaucomatous inflammation may occur in the other, must be regarded as based upon little more than assumptions. If a few days after iridectomy in one eye an acute, glaucomatous inflammation appear in the other, this accident certainly may be a very unpleasant surprise ; but the circumstance that the operation in the first eye and the inflammation in the second eye occur only a few days apart, argues against the suspicion of a sympathetic connection. For in ocular inflammations whose sympathetic origin is demonstrated, it is not days but weeks, before the inflamma¬ tory process proceeding from one eye and following the course of the ciliary nerves reaches the second.” Now, whether the outbreak of acute glaucoma in the fellow eye, after an iridectomy upon one eye for glaucoma is sympathetic or not, nothing is more certain than that it very frequently occurs. It has happened one or more times in the practice of almost every Ophthalmologist with whom I am acquainted. It has occurred in the practice of Dr. C. R. Agnew, in seven out of tzventy-seven possible cases, or in more than twenty-five per cent., within three days after the iridectomy upon the first eye. In two of these cases it oc¬ curred within twelve hours. Four of the eyes operated upon first had acute glaucoma, one had chronic glaucoma, and the other two had glaucoma absolutum. The fellow eye in five of the cases had more or less of the symptoms of chronic glaucoma. In two cases, however, one eye was operated upon for acute glaucoma, while the fellow eye was, object¬ ively and subjectively, perfectly normal, if we except errors of refraction. In six out of the seven cases the eye second¬ arily attacked was operated upon with little or no delay, and in each case the recovery was rapid and the vision became as good as before the attack. In the seventh case iced cloths and atropia were applied, and by the time we were ready to operate, the eye was so much improved that we decided to