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Neovascular glaucoma may be risk factor for failure after drainage implant surgery
J Glaucoma. 2010;19(9):581-586.
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Surgical failure may be more prominent for neovascular glaucoma patients who undergo drainage implant surgery than for patients with other glaucoma diagnoses, a study found.
"In neovascular glaucoma patients, the loss of vision despite lowering of average IOP by drainage implant surgery suggests the need for improved therapy to preserve function of the retina and optic nerve in the underlying conditions that cause neovascular glaucoma," the study authors said.
In the retrospective comparative study, 38 eyes with neovascular glaucoma and 38 control eyes underwent Ahmed glaucoma valve (New World Medical) implantation and were compared postoperatively for surgical success, IOP and light perception.
One year after implantation, the surgical success rate for control eyes was 89.1%, compared with 73.1% for eyes with neovascular glaucoma. Year 2 and year 5 success rates for control eyes were both 81.8%, while success rates for neovascular glaucomatous eyes were 61.9% and 20.6%, respectively.
The mean IOP for control eyes was 17.9 ± 8.4 mm Hg 1 year postop, compared with 16.5 ± 15.8 mm Hg for eyes with neovascular glaucoma.
While IOP control and other complications were similar for both groups, visual outcomes were significantly worse in neovascular glaucomatous eyes, with nine patients losing light perception and five of these losing vision altogether.