Complications of glaucoma surgery. Ocular decompression retinopathy

In seven eyes of four patients, retinal hemorrhages were observed following trabeculectomy under both local and general anesthesia. The hemorrhages were diffuse, both deep and superficial, and many had white centers when first observed. Two patients were young healthy male myopes undergoing primary trabeculectomy. The third patient was a young man with chronic uveitis. The fourth patient was an elderly man with primary open angle glaucoma who had an acute rise in intraocular pressure following cataract extraction. Intraocular pressure and visual results appeared unaffected by the hemorrhages. Retinal hemorrhages associated with ocular decompression appear to be relatively benign.