FILTERING BLEBS - FOLLOW-UP OF TRABECULECTOMY

We retrospectively reviewed the results of 88 primary trabeculectomies with 1- to 5-year (mean, 3-year) follow up in an attempt to correlate the biomicroscopic appearance and function of the filtering bleb with intraocular pressure (IOP), and to detect possible risk factors for b leb failure. IOP in 74% of the eyes was less-than-or-equal-to 21 mm Hg without medication. Three eyes needed retrabeculectomy. A diffuse fil tering bleb was present in 36 (42%), a flap-sized bleb in 42 (50%), an d no bleb in 7 (8%). Among these three groups, those with diffuse bleb s had the lowest IOP the highest proportion of eyes without medication , and the highest tonographic C value. Early postoperative hypotony te nded to occur more often in the eyes with flap-sized blebs and in thos e in which the bleb failed. Blebs tended to fail more often in the you nger patients.