Relapse following goniotomy for congenital glaucoma due to trabecular dysgenesis

Three hundred and thirty-five eyes of 210 patients with congenital glaucoma due to trabecular dysgenesis were treated by goniotomy as the primary procedure in infancy. In 313 eyes (93.5%) glaucoma was controlled at one year following surgery. Using Kaplan Meier actuarial survival analysis we found that eyes controlled in infancy by one or more goniotomies are at risk of relapse of glaucoma for at least 15 years although 93% of eyes are still controlled five years after the initial surgery. Patients whose symptoms of congenital glaucoma presented at birth were more likely to relapse than those whose symptoms developed in the first few months of life. Eyes requiring multiple goniotomies in infancy were more likely to relapse than those controlled by a single procedure.