[Long-term outcomes at not-penetrating glaucoma surgery]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Surgery
• Surgical Implants

Background:

• Glaucoma management requires effective intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction.
• Non-penetrating deep sclerectomy is a surgical option for glaucoma.
• Evaluating long-term outcomes of different implants in deep sclerectomy is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the long-term efficacy and safety of non-penetrating deep sclerectomy with different implant types.
• To assess intraocular pressure (IOP) control and medication requirements post-surgery.
• To determine the best implant for enhancing deep sclerectomy outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 3 groups: deep sclerectomy without implant (DS), deep sclerectomy with Staar implant (DS+STAAR), and deep sclerectomy with T-flux implant (DS+T).
• Patients underwent non-penetrating deep sclerectomy.
• Postoperative evaluation included intraocular pressure (IOP), medication use, and success rates over extended follow-up periods.

Main Results:

• All groups showed initial IOP reduction, with the T-flux group achieving significantly lower IOP at 96 and 132 months (14 mmHg and 15 mmHg, respectively).
• The T-flux group had the highest percentage of patients completely off medication at 120 months (42.9%).
• Qualified success rates at 96 months were 87.5% for DS, 89.5% for DS+STAAR, and 100% for DS+T.

Conclusions:

• Non-penetrating deep sclerectomy is an effective surgical technique for IOP reduction in glaucoma.
• The T-flux implant appears to offer superior long-term IOP control and reduced medication dependency compared to no implant or the Staar implant.