TRABECULECTOMY IN THE 2ND EYE

Trabeculectomy has a reported success rate of between 67-94%, Many stu dies have been performed on operative variables which may influence su rgical outcome, Youth, pigmented race and anterior segment inflammatio n have been shown to be associated with trabeculectomy failure, Little is known of the surgical outcome of trabeculectomy in one eye in rela tion to its partner, when surgery is standardized and the above known adverse conditions to trabeculectomy success are absent, We therefore carried out a prospective study on 62 patients who underwent bilateral trabeculectomies. There was a significant failure rate amongst pairs of eyes (postoperative intraocular pressure greater than or equal to 2 1 mmHg), with the majority of failures occurring within 6 months of su rgery, Failure appeared to be associated with a longer period from dia gnosis of glaucoma to surgery, and the use of a wider variety and numb er of topical medications, All other trabeculectomy complications occu rred more commonly in any single eye, than in any pairs of eyes.