Published online Apr 16, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i11.119670
Revised: February 25, 2026
Accepted: March 16, 2026
Published online: April 16, 2026
Processing time: 65 Days and 17.8 Hours
Glaucoma, being a chronic disease requires regular follow-up for intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring and assessment of disease progression, was adversely affected by mobility restrictions such as those imposed during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With shutdowns and lockdowns in multiple areas, patients either missed follow-up dates or presented late, affecting the management of various ophthalmic disorders, including glaucoma. Given the diverse etiologies of secondary glaucoma, delay and loss to follow-up during the COVID-19 pandemic were likely to have a substantial impact on clinical out
To assess the clinical profile and management outcomes of secondary glaucoma during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care institute from July 2020 to December 2021. The findings were compared with those of a similar cohort evaluated between January 2022 and June 2023.
Out of 62 patients, 46 (74.2%) were males and 25 (40.3%) were aged > 60 years. The aetiologies included pseudoexfoliation (PXF) (26.8%), neovascular glaucoma (NVG) (17.1%), trauma (13.4%), steroid-induced glaucoma (12.2%), miscellaneous causes (11.0%), developmental glaucoma (6.1%) and, uveitic glaucoma (4.9%). Delays in surgery and frequent dropouts contributed to cases of lens-induced glaucoma (8.5%). At presentation, best-corrected visual acuity was < 3/60 in 41.4% of eyes, IOP was > 30 mmHg in 57.4 % of eyes, and severe optic disc damage was noted in 42.7% of eyes. Target IOP was achieved in 65.9% of eyes after six months of treatment. While the mean cup to disc ratio and mean deviation on Humphrey visual field did not show statistically significant difference, the mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness showed a statistically significant increase. All variables were compared with those of a similar post-pandemic cohort over the same duration. An increase in cases of NVG (27.3%) and other forms of secondary glaucoma was observed in the post-pandemic period, except for lens-induced glaucoma.
PXF glaucoma was the most common cause of secondary glaucoma during the pandemic. Target IOP was achieved mostly with surgical therapy. COVID-19 posed challenges in treatment and played a pivotal role in the deve
Core Tip: This study aimed to assess the clinical course of secondary glaucoma during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in a tertiary care institute in eastern India and compare them with that of a similar cohort in the post-pandemic period. The majority patients were male, of elderly age group and had pseudoexfoliation as the most common etiology. Target intraocular pressure was achieved in 65.9% of eyes after six months of treatment. There was an increase in mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness post treatment which was statistically significant. After the pandemic, there was an increase in neovascular (27%) and other forms of secondary glaucoma, except lens-induced glaucoma.