Corneal complications of intraoperative Mitomycin C in glaucoma surgery

To report corneal toxicity of Mitomycin C application during filtering glaucoma surgery in two patients.

An elderly woman, 81 years of age, developed diffuse corneal epitheliopathy with subepithelial stromal oedema seven weeks after a trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C application. Another patient, a 76-year-old man, first developed a central epithelium defect and stromal oedema in the second postoperative week after a similar procedure. Later the corneal stroma melted, what resulted in perforation in the second postoperative month.

Intraoperative Mitomycin C application during trabeculectomy induced serious corneal complications several weeks after the surgery.

Although infrequent, serious corneal complications may arise following the intraoperative use of Mitomycin C in filtering surgery for glaucoma. The possible contributing factors to the development of the corneal toxicity will be discussed.