Juvenile onset primary open-angle glaucoma: three case studies and review.

BACKGROUND: Common clinical characteristics of juvenile onset primary open-angle glaucoma (JPOAG) include increased intraocular pressure, optic nervehead damage, visual-field loss, and a normal-appearing iridocorneal angle by gonioscopy. Histologic analysis of the angle structures may show varying developmental abnormalities that are observed to be less obvious as age of onset increases. Individuals who are African-American, male in gender, and myopio, are at highest risk--particularly if a positive family history exists. A genetic locus for juvenile onset primary open-angle glaucoma has been isolated to the long arm of chromosome 1. CASE REPORTS: Three separate cases of JPOAG diagnosed in a 16-year-old African-American girl, a 9-year-old African-American boy, and a 28-year-old African-American woman are presented and reviewed. The symptoms, clinical presentation, disease progression, and treatment options are discussed in detail. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of this disease is possible through screening on all patients--particularly those who exhibit increased cupping with increased intraocular pressures and risk factors, such as youthful age, male gender, myopic refractive error, and African-American heritage with a positive family history of glaucoma. Family members should also be examined.