Long-term outcomes of domestic hunan aqueous drainage implantation in refractory glaucoma

To evaluate the long-term outcomes of a non-valved, Chinese-made Hunan aqueous drainage device (HAD) in patients with refractory glaucoma, compared to trabeculectomy.

This was a retrospective observational case series, including 27 patients with refractory glaucoma who either underwent HAD implantation (n=11) or trabeculectomy (n=16). The mean follow-up was 27.9±13.5 (mean±SD) months. Intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity and postoperative complications were measured.

IOP was significantly lower at the last follow-up in both two groups compared with the baseline IOP (HAD: 58.4 to 10.0 mmHg, P>0.001; trabeculectomy:58.4 to 23.7 mmHg, P<0.001). One week, 1 month and 1 year after the operation, the average IOP of the HAD group was significantly lower than that of trabeculectomy group (P<0.05 at all time points). However, , the IOP did not differ significantly between the two groups at the time of last follow-up.

HAD implantation serves as a good option to control IOP in refractory glaucoma.