Aqueous humor outflow facility in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid

Purpose. It has been reported that glaucoma is more prevalent in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) patients as compared to the general population. The majority of OCP patients with glaucoma were in stage III or IV at the time of OCP diagnosis. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the etiology of glaucoma in such patients could be caused by an impairment of the aqueous humor outflow facility in the context of long-standing inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine whether the aqueous humor outflow facility is impaired in OCP patients. Patients and Methods. The aqueous humor outflow facility was compared between the following groups: (1) OCP patients with high pressure glaucoma (HPG) (n = 15) to patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) (n = 13) and no history of OCP or chronic cicatrizing conjunctivitis (CCC); (2) OCP patients without a history of HPG (n = 15) to a group of normal individuals (n = 14); (3) OCP patients in stage II, with or without HPG (n = 12), to OCP patients in stage III (n = 25), with or without HPG. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in outflow facility between OCP patients with HPG and patients with POAG and no history of OCP, or between OCP patients without HPG and individuals with no history of OCP or glaucoma. The difference in outflow facility between patients in stage II of OCP and those in stage III of OCP was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Glaucoma in patients with OCP might not be related to resistance to the aqueous humor outflow facility.