Trabeculectomy

Trabeculectomy as first choice of treatment has been performed on 100 consecutive cases in Africans. During the follow-up period ranging from 2 to 12 months, 79 eyes had a postoperative intraocular pressure of less than 21 mm Hg without any antiglaucomatous medications. Fourteen eyes operated upon (14%) had a postoperative intraocular pressure between 22 and 26 mm Hg. Seven cases (7%) showed an intraocular pressure higher than 28 mm Hg. Hypotony and hyphema encountered in 8 cases were a minor postoperative complication. Protrusion of the iris in the surgical wound occurring in 2 cases was a major complication. A correlation between the intraocular pressure one week and 28 weeks postoperatively showed that in most cases the intraocular pressure was higher after the longer follow-up. However, out of a group of 25 eyes operated upon showing an intraocular pressure of 14 mm Hg or less, one week postoperatively, only one eye (4%) showed an intraocular pressure higher than 20 mm Hg on the longer follow-up.