POSTTRAUMATIC ANGLE-RECESSION GLAUCOMA - A RISK FACTOR FOR BLEB FAILURE AFTER TRABECULECTOMY

In order to determine if post-traumatic angle recession is a risk fact or for failure of glaucoma filtering surgery independent of age or rac e, the surgical results of trabeculectomy performed in 35 consecutive patients with angle recession glaucoma were compared with those of 35 matched patients with primary open angle glaucoma. A postoperative int raocular pressure of less-than-or-equal-to 21 mm Hg (with or without g laucoma medication) was found in 15 of the 35 (43%) patients with angl e recession glaucoma compared with 26 of the 35.(74%) patients with pr imary open angle glaucoma. The long term success of trabeculectomy was significantly worse in angle recession glaucoma when the results were analysed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Bleb failure occurred a mean period of 3.1 (SD 1.2) months after trabeculectomy in angle reces sion glaucoma compared with 9.4 (5) months in primary open angle glauc oma (p less-than-or-equal-to 0.001). The finding that post-traumatic a ngle recession is a risk factor for failure of trabeculectomy, support s the use of antimetabolite therapy to suppress fibrosis after trabecu lectomy in these patients.