Abstract:Objective To observe the clinical effect and safety of phacoemulsification in the treatment of acute angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). Methods From January 2010 to April 2017, 26 ACG patients (26 eyes) treated in the department of ophthalmology of Liyang Branch Hospital of Jiangsu Province Hospital were enrolled in this study. All patients were within one month of disease onset and with less more than 2/3 angle closure, accompanied by significant lens opacification or lens dilation. The phacoemulsification combined with foldable intraocular lens implantation was performed in all patients. The intraocular pressure before and 1 week, 1 month, 3 months after surgery, and the central anterior chamber depth and corrected visual acuity before and 3 months after operation were observed and compared. Results All patients were followed up for (19.2±8.9) months. Intraocular pressure was (31.22±10.68) mm Hg before operation, (12.14±3.22) mm Hg one week after operation, (12.43±3.61) mm Hg one month after operation and (13.27±3.78) mm Hg three months after operation. Intraocular pressures at postoperative time points were significantly lower than that before operation (t=2.48, 2.44, 2.33; all P<0.05). The central anterior chamber depth was (1.58±0.42) mm before operation and (2.29±0.24) mm after operation, and there was significant difference in it between pre-operation and post-operation (t=2.33, P<0.05). The ratio of postoperative best corrected visual acuity (more than and equal to 0.3) was statistically higher than that before operation (88.5% vs 11.5%, χ²=30.77, P<0.01). Conclusion Phacoemulsification for acute ACG is effective in reducing intraocular pressure, increasing central anterior chamber depth and having high safety. However, its long-term efficacy still needs further observation and study.