Clinical experience with the double-plate Ahmed glaucoma valve

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve.

Multicenter, retrospective observational case series.

We reviewed 50 eyes in 50 patients treated with the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve with mean follow-up of 11.7+/-7.9 months.

Average intraocular pressure was reduced from 36.0+/-12.4 mm Hg before surgery to 15.8+/-7.7 mm Hg at the most recent follow-up after surgery (P<.001). The number of glaucoma medications was decreased from 3.3+/-0.8 before surgery to 1.4+/-1.4 after surgery (P<.001). The percent of success was 76% of eyes at the latest follow-up. Choroidal effusion occurred in four eyes (8%) and did not require surgical treatment in any eye.

Despite a poor prognosis group of patients in this study, the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve was effective in lowering intraocular pressure with a low incidence of complications associated with hypotony.