Trabectome alternative for glaucoma surgery

Trabectome, a device that ablates the arc of trabecular meshwork, is a safe and effective alternative to glaucoma surgery, according to a recent paper.

The investigation, led by Dr M. Maeda, Department of Ophthalmology, Gifu Red Cross Hospital, Gifu Social Insurance Chukyo Hospital, Nagoya, Japan, involved performing Trabectome surgeries on 80 eyes of 69 adult Japanese patients with or without previous surgery or laser treatment.

The team measured Goldmann applanation intraocular pressure (IOP), adjunctive medications, corneal endothelial cell density and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Intraoperative and postoperative adverse events were also recorded.

Mean preoperative IOP was 26.6±8.1 mmHg and decreased to a mean IOP of 17.4±3.4 mmHg six months after surgery. There were no complications such as choroidal effusion, choroidal haemorrhage or infection occurred.

Of the patients studied, 16.3% required surgical intervention and one case underwent cataract extraction during the follow-up period. There was an overall decrease of approximately 30% in IOP six months postoperatively.

The abstract can be viewed in the latest issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.