Lens-Particle Glaucoma Causes

Lens-particle glaucoma can develop when fragmented lens debris is retained inside the eye following surgery or injury/trauma. Without surgery or injury/trauma, lens-particle glaucoma cannot develop, and it is not associated with the natural lens becoming dislocated from its normal position. Some examples of how lens-particle glaucoma may occur following surgery or injury/trauma are as follows:

• The outer soft layer of the lens (cortex) may not be completely removed or the nucleus or nuclear fragments may become dislocated during cataract surgery.
  
  
• The lens capsule’s integrity may be unintentionally or inadvertently compromised during other types of intraocular surgery (eg, vitrectomy, laser capsulotomy).
  
  
• The lens capsule can be damaged, ruptured, or dislocated due to eye injury/trauma.

Lens debris retained inside the eye spontaneously fragments into small (sometimes invisible) particles that eventually migrate into the anterior chamber. There, they obstruct the flow of fluid from the eye (aqueous humor), resulting in increased IOP and a possible progression to glaucoma.