Head trauma can cause transient elevation of intraocular pressure in patients with open angle glaucoma.

AIM To describe a newly-recognized entity, illustrated by five cases of glaucoma in whom trauma to the head, but not the eye, resulted in marked, transient elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP). METHODS Retrospective case series. Chart review. RESULTS All five cases had a diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma prior to the experience of trauma to the head. All cases had an unusual elevation of IOP (around 70 percent) for days to weeks following the trauma, after which the IOP fell to pre-accident levels. No cause other than the trauma could be determined. CONCLUSION The relationship between head trauma and elevation of IOP appears real.