T. Kubota et al., NEOVASCULAR TISSUE IN THE INTERTRABECULAR SPACES IN EYES WITH NEOVASCULAR GLAUCOMA, British journal of ophthalmology, 80(8), 1996, pp. 750-754
Aims/background - To investigate histological changes in the trabecula
r meshwork in eyes with neovascular glaucoma. Methods - Light and elec
tron microscopic studies were carried out on the trabecular meshwork o
f three enucleated eyes with neovascular glaucoma. The presence and di
stribution of factor VIII in the trabecular meshwork was assessed usin
g the ABC method. Results - Peripheral anterior synechiae covering the
trabecular meshwork were detected in two eyes, which would explain th
e rise in intraocular pressure. In the third the angle was not complet
ely closed by peripheral anterior synechiae. The spaces between the tr
abecular beams were lined by a single layer of vascular endothelium, a
nd were filled with red blood cells in this patient. Factor Vm was pos
itively stained in the endothelial cells, lining both these spaces and
Schlemm's canal. A basal lamina and microfibrils were detected just b
eneath the newly formed vascular endothelial cells. Conclusion - The n
eovascular tissue found in the trabecular spaces might be one of the f
actors responsible for intraocular pressure elevation in eyes with neo
vascular glaucoma.