Influence of menstruation on glaucoma

Abstract

The influence of menstruation was found to vary among women with closed-angle and chronic simple glaucoma. In closed-angle glaucoma, there was an incidence of 89 per cent. of premenstrual syndrome, and 60 per cent. of ocular symptoms occurred during the paramenstruum. In chronic simple glaucoma, only 50 per cent. suffered from premenstrual syndrome and there was no time relationship between ocular symptoms and menstruation. In fourteen women with glaucoma, intra-ocular pressure, blood pressure, and body weight were found to rise simultaneously during the paramenstruum, but the average rises were greater in those with closed-angle glaucoma than in those with chronic simple glaucoma. This study emphasizes the importance of noting the time in the menstrual cycle at which intra-ocular pressure readings are taken and the value of recording ocular symptoms on menstrual charts in cases of closed-angle glaucoma.