Acute ocular hypotony. A rare complication of temporal arteritis.

Acute ocular hypotony is a serious, but rare complication of temporal arteritis. It occurs equally often in men and women, and appears mostly in patients older than 70 years. This complication may occur in one or in both eyes. In the literature 7 cases of temporal arteritis accompanied by ocular hypotony have been reported. Hypotony probably results from a restricted production of aqueous humor caused by involvement of the arteries supplying the ciliary body. A high-dose corticoid therapy may normalize completely the intraocular pressure, and a timely treatment may preserve a satisfactory vision, since an insufficient perfusion of the optic disc does not necessarily occur. Scalp necrosis and diplopia may appear at the same time, and are a sign of multiple involvement of the arterial vessels.