Characteristics and frequency of pigmentary glaucoma in the Turkish population

PURPOSE: To analyze the prevalence and characteristics of pigmentary glaucoma (PG) and pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) in patients diagnosed at a tertiary center eye clinic in Türkiye.
METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study was conducted at the glaucoma clinic of Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital. The files of patients with glaucoma diagnoses between 2015 and 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The prevalence of PG and PDS, characteristics of the patients, surgical requirements, applied surgical procedures, and risk factors for PG were analyzed.
RESULTS: Of the 7,800 files that were reviewed, 50 (0.64%) belonged to patients with PDS or PG. The mean follow-up time was 41.45±34.56 months, and the mean age of the patients was 48.9±12.86 years. Twenty-five (50%) patients were male. Of the 100 eyes reviewed initially, 56 had PDS, 44 had PG, and 17 (30.3%) with PDS progressed to PG during the follow-up period. The mean spherical equivalent (SE) was –1.03±1.62 diopter. In the comparison of eyes with PDS and PG, there were no significant differences with regard to age, sex, SE, central corneal thickness, or best-corrected visual acuity. A median in-traocular pressure (IOP) of 17.5 mmHg was achieved on two median glaucoma medications at the last visit. Overall, 10 eyes with PG required surgical and laser interventions for IOP control. Laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) was performed on nine of these eyes, trabeculectomy with antimetabolite augmentation on two (which had previously undergone LPI), and XEN® gel stent implantation on one.
CONCLUSION: Among the glaucoma patients, the detected frequency of PDS and PG was 0.64%. We did not detect male dom-inance. The median SE was –1.03±1.62 diopter, indicating mild myopia, which is consistent with the literature.