Long-term reduction in IOP due to uneventful surgical procedures in PXG patients

Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG) patients who underwent uneventful uneventful phacoemulsification, IOL implantation, and trabeculectomy experienced long-term lower IOP and required fewer medications during 10 years, claims a paper published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Dr Bradford J. Shingleton et al., Center for Eye Research and Education, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, performed a retrospective, comparative case series analysis on consecutive eyes with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG) that underwent uneventful combined phacoemulsification and trabeculectomy. Change in intraocular pressure (IOP), glaucoma medication requirements and logMAR corrected distance visual acuity was compared between the phaco-only group and the combined surgery group.

Mean IOP and glaucoma medication requirements significantly reduced when patients underwent combined surgery, compared to the phaco-only group. Reduction in mean postoperative IOP was more significant in eyes with a higher mean preoperative IOP. Of the eyes included in the combined-surgery group, 13.8% needed subsequent laser trabeculoplasty, glaucoma surgery or a combination of the two.

Combined surgical procedures lead to long-term reductions in IOP and glaucoma medication requirements, as well as fewer 1-day postoperative spikes.