Association of Pigmentary Glaucoma and Nonsenile Nuclear Cataracts.

PURPOSE

To describe a new association between nonsenile nuclear cataracts and pigmentary glaucoma in patients with controlled intraocular pressure (IOP).

DESIGN

Retrospective consecutive case series of nonsenile nuclear cataracts seen in patients with pigmentary glaucoma with controlled IOP in a single glaucoma specialist practice. Eight eyes of 7 patients with pigmentary glaucoma and visually significant cataract who underwent cataract removal were reviewed.

RESULTS

Patients with pigmentary glaucoma developed rapidly progressing, nonsenile nuclear cataracts, with resulting myopic shifts between 4 and 13 D from baseline in <2 years. The patients had controlled IOP and there were no associations between medication use and cataract development.

CONCLUSIONS

A new association between pigmentary glaucoma and nonsenile nuclear cataracts is described. In these patients, the IOP remains controlled and no association is seen between the cataract and medication use. The cataract is rapidly progressive and can cause a myopic shift between 4 and 13 D. Awareness of the purely nuclear cataract and its' clinical presentation can assist the clinician when approaching the patient with pigment dispersion and decreasing vision. To the best of our knowledge, this is a new association and warrants further investigation.