Ocular echometry in the diagnosis of congenital glaucoma.

Thirty-three eyes of 18 normal infants and children and 36 eyes of infants in whom congenital glaucoma had been diagnosed were measured by echometry. The anterior chamber depth, vitreous length, and axial length were notably greater in glaucomatous eyes, while the lens thickness was smaller in glaucomatous eyes. The axial length of normal eyes was found to increase with age. The confidence interval of the normal growth curve allows the prediction of the maximum normal axial length for any given age. In congenital glaucoma cases in which the visual fields and daily pressure curve cannot be evaluated, clinical echometry is proposed as a valuable diagnostic and follow-up procedure.