This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Transient vision loss common after trabeculectomy
Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;129(8):1011-1017.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
It may take up to 2 years for recovery of transient vision loss after trabeculectomy, a study found. While this is common, the risk of permanent vision loss is less common but more significant.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the risk of long-term vs. transient vision loss among 301 eyes of 262 patients who underwent trabeculectomy. They classified postoperative vision loss as mild or moderate and severe, and vision loss was considered permanent if patients did not regain three lines of acuity within 6 months.
Transient vision loss occurred in 56.5% of the eyes, of which 26.2% had mild or moderate vision loss and 30.2% had severe vision loss, according to the study. Mean recovery time for those in the mild to moderate transient group was 88 days compared with 78 days among those with severe vision loss.
Permanent vision loss occurred in 8% of eyes, of which 4.3% had mild or moderate vision loss and 3.7% had severe vision loss. Additionally, 2% of the eyes experienced permanent and severe vision loss that had no cause.
"Risk factors included preoperative split fixation on visual fields, preoperative number of quadrants with split fixation, and postoperative choroidal effusions with eventual resolution," the study authors said.