title: Iridoschisis: a case report and literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Iridoschisis is a rare condition that is characterized by the separation of the iris stroma into layers, with portions of the anterior layer floating freely in the aqueous humour. Here, we report three cases of iridoschisis that were complicated by either a cataract or glaucoma. Based on these cases, we speculate that the scope of iridoschisis has a rare association with intraocular pressure and the loss of corneal endothelial cells after surgery, which is mainly due to the surgery and not iridocorneal mechanical contact.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report three cases of iridoschisis, two of which were complicated by cataracts and the third by glaucoma. Patient 1 was a 69-year-old man with bilateral iridoschisis complicated by a cataract but not glaucoma, even though the entire anterior layer of the iris stroma in the right eye presented as white atrophic strands. To prevent the detached iris fibrils from invading the phacoemulsification tip and the irrigation/aspiration hand piece port, the separated iris stroma that was floating freely in the aqueous humour was cut with scissors immediately before the cataract extraction. Patient 2 was an 87-year-old woman with iridoschisis complicated by a cataract in the right eye. We successfully performed cataract surgery on the right eye without a pupillary device. Patient 3 was a 66-year-old man who presented with increased intraocular pressure with bilateral iridoschisis. He was discharged and prescribed with a combination of four glaucoma drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with iridoschisis should have continuous follow-up because complications may occur, and extra care from ophthalmologists is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yiyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yiyong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, People's Republic of China. lupeirong@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Peirong
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1423-1737
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D007498:Iris / Q000473:pathology*; D007499:Iris Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
keywords: Cataract; Glaucoma; Iridoschisis; Iris degeneration; Phacoemulsification