EFFECT OF PILOCARPINE ON ANTERIOR-CHAMBER ANGLES

Pilocarpine is widely used in the treatment of glaucoma, especially fo r the acute form of angle-closure glaucoma. Previous studies have show n that pilocarpine decreases central anterior chamber depth. In the pr esent study, a quantitative measurement method, applying Scheimpflug p hotography, was used to report whether pilocarpine also affected the a nterior chamber angles. Twenty-nine normal Chinese subjects, 17 female and 12 male with an age range from 11 to 63 years old, were enrolled. One eye of each subject was treated with one drop of 2% pilocarpine. Photographs of each of four quadrants were taken prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment in both eyes, using a rotating slit-lamp video c amera based on the Scheimpflug principle. The slit beams were set at 0 degrees and 90 degrees. The eyes which did not receive pilocarpine tr eatment served as control. The angles of the four quadrants were calcu lated for both eyes both prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment, a nd results were compared by Student's paired t-test. The comparison of angles between the eyes prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment in dicated that there is a significant narrowing of angles in all quadran ts. The complex factors involved in the change of anterior chamber ang le are reviewed in the light of muscarinic action of pilocarpine.