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IUM 205
On Jan. 14th. which was a very cold day. the patient walked a distance
of two or three miles to the hospital. There was.marked epiphora
but no pain. The vision was reduced to 20/100 normal. Radium was
again applied.
When the patient returned to the hospital again. Jan. 18th, the vision
was still 20/100, tension of the right eye 75, the left eye 80.
On Jan. 28th. the vision of the right eye was 10/200 normal and
the tension 90. The patient was admitted to the hospital and myotics
started. He has been kept under observation and his vision brought back
to 20/100 normal in the right eye and the tension to 85.
It has been observed since he has been in the hospital that a dose
of 100 milligram hours gives relief for about five days when there is a
return of pain, a decrease in vision, and an increase in tension.
The above cases were reported at the meeting of the New England
Ophthalmological Society on Tuesday evening, Feb. 19. 1924. Cases
one and three were shown and case two simply reported. These cases
were shown with the idea of demonstrating that radium is an agent which
can be used to reduce intra-ocular tension.
It should not be inferred that radium is considered a panacea in the
treatment of glaucoma, that it is the sole agent to be used in the treatment
of glaucoma, or that it is to be used as a substitute for myotics or
operation. These cases show very definitely that radium will reduce the
intra-ocular tension in glaucoma, and incidentally may improve the vision.
After a thorough search of the literature, it was found that the only
instance in which radium was used in the treatment of glaucoma was reported
by Wickham and Degrais in their book on "Radium Therapy."*
In the latter part of December, 1906, a patient suffering from glaucoma,
at the hospital of St. Jean De Dieu at St, Barthelemy, near Marseilles,
was sent to Wickham and Degrais in Paris for radium therapy
relative to glaucoma. The description of the case follows:
"We have ourselves tried it in a case of glaucoma, which we quote
bere, not because of the result obtained, which was in no way remarkable,
but because of the technique. . . The patient was completely blind in the
left eye. and partially blind in the right eye. The eye on this side could
distinguish some shadows. The diagnosis of the ophthalmologist at the
institution was 'inoperable glaucoma,' of several years' standing."
Notice how in detail, the description of this case corresponds to the
condition of the case described in case three.
Quoting further:
"The treatment, commenced on January 23rd, 1907. was repeated
every day until February 5th, inclusive. . . . The patient returned to Marseilles
on February 12th. During the course of treatment he seemed to
see unaccustomed lights, and felt much encouraged. On March 26th M.
deM wrote to us that there seemed to be improvement; but since
then the patient's condition has become the same as before treatment.
We give this instance only because it marks our firstattempt at filtering
radium rays through a lead sheet."
It will be seen that the authors describe the above case primarily
to demonstrate the technique which would enable them to use radium in
deep therapy, and which, in so far as they knew, had never before been
used. Their report on the case mentioned in no way, nor even suggested
•From "Radium Therapy" by Wickham and Degrais tFunk & Waenalls). part 111.
chapter ix. pp. 277-278.