Exfoliation syndrome angle characteristics: a lack of correlation with amount of disc damage.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The exact pathogenesis of glaucoma in exfoliation syndrome is unclear. There has been some suggestion that narrow angles are more common in exfoliation syndrome and that this may be a component in the disease. The degree of pigmentation has also been shown to influence the intraocular pressure. The aim was to determine whether gonioscopic features of the anterior chamber angle in patients with exfoliation syndrome correlate with severity of the glaucoma. METHODS A prospective study of consecutive patients with exfoliation syndrome was carried out. 78 patients with exfoliation syndrome were examined by one clinician (GLS), and underwent gonioscopy and dilated funduscopy. RESULTS Anterior chamber angle, level of iris insertion, degree of pigmentation and the presence or absence of a Sampaolesi line were not correlated with the degree of disc damage. CONCLUSIONS There was no apparent association between angle characteristics and the severity of glaucoma in patients with exfoliation syndrome.