Background: We wanted to evaluate whether intracameral injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is useful in managing traumatic hyphaema.
Methods: Two eyes with total hyphaema after a severe penetrating injury were treated with a single intracameral injection of 25 micrograms of tPA 5 and 14 days after the injury, respectively.
Results: Most of the blood coagulum dissolved within 24 h, and in one of the two eyes the intraocular pressure decreased from 45 to 8 mmHg. The other eye was hypotonic. No re-bleeding or complications related to the use of tPA were noticed.
Conclusion: The results in these two cases suggest that tPA is a useful adjunct in managing total hyphaema.