Intraocular pressure during haemodialysis: a review

Objectives Although several works in the past have examined the effect of haemodialysis (HD) on intraocular pressure (IOP), reported findings, theories, and conclusions are very different. The objectives of this article are to resume the reported evidence of IOP changes during HD, to review the proposed hypothesis of HD influence on IOP, and to determine if ophthalmic examination is imperative in HD patients. Methods We analysed the peer-reviewed English literature and selected all possible relevant articles. Results The influence of HD on IOP is not clear, and even in recent studies opposite findings can be found. Conclusions Future studies are needed to clarify the effects of HD on IOP. In patients with glaucoma or with predisposed narrow angles, or eyes with impaired aqueous outflow, the possibility of acute IOP rise during HD could be much more frequent than in normal patients. So in these patients, a more strict ophthalmic scheduled examination seems to be feasible.