Trabeculectomy with subconjunctival collagen implant in Indian eyes: Long-term results

Wound modulation in glaucoma surgery: The role of anti-scarring agents

Filtration surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in the management of glaucoma, and trabeculectomy is considered the gold standard surgical technique for the same. Though trabeculectomy has been reported to have an excellent initial success rate, about 30% of them fail in 3 years, and nearly 50% of them fail in 5 years. The most significant risk of failure still seems to be wound scarring, especially episcleral fibrosis, leading to bleb failure. As a result, it is essential to explore the role of anti-scarring agents, including mitomycin C, and 5-fluorouracil in wound modulation and improving the bleb survival rate. Since these agents are widely used in trabeculectomy, it is crucial to understand the various modes of application, advantages, and adverse effects of these agents. On an evidence-based approach, all these points have been highlighted in this review article. In addition, the newer agents available for wound modulation and their scope for practical application are discussed.

Ologen augmentation of Ahmed glaucoma drainage devices in pediatric glaucomas

Background

Limited data exists on the effectiveness of the collagen matrix, Ologen, on increasing Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) success in childhood glaucomas.

Methods

Ocular examination and surgical details of pediatric patients who underwent AGV placement ± Ologen augmentation between 2012 and 2020. Complete success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) between 5 and 20 mmHg without glaucoma medications and additional IOP-lowering surgeries. Qualified success was defined as above, except IOP control maintained with or without glaucoma medications.

Results

Twenty-two eyes of 16 patients underwent AGV placement of which 6 eyes had Ologen-augmentation (OAGV) and 16 eyes had conventional surgery (CAGV). Average age was 6.4 ± 5.1 years with 4.2 ± 2.5 follow-up years. There was no difference in age, number of previous surgeries, and preoperative IOP and glaucoma medications. At final follow-up, success rate was 100% (5 eyes complete, 6 eyes qualified) in the OAGV group compared to 31% (0 eyes complete, 5 eyes qualified) in the CAGV group. One and two-year survival rates were 100% for OAGV compared to 62 and 38% for CAGV. Postoperative IOP was significantly lower at 1-month and final follow-up (p = 0.02) as was the number of glaucoma medications at 3, 6, 12-months and final follow-up (p < 0.05) in the OAGV group.

Conclusions

Ologen-augmentation increased the success and survival rates of AGVs in childhood glaucomas. Further, Ologen mitigated the hypertensive phase and decreased medication dependency. Longer follow-up with a greater number of eyes is required to fully evaluate the effectiveness of OAGV.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12886-021-01827-4.

Experimental models of glaucoma filtration surgery

Glaucoma filtration surgery plays an important role in achieving intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in patients who have high IOP despite maximum medical therapy. Preclinical experimental models of glaucoma filtration surgery contribute a great deal to our knowledge of the wound healing processes that predispose to scarring and may lead to poor outcomes. However, this research needs to be interpreted in the light of the specific study design, animal model and methods used. We review the existing literature addressing various models of experimental glaucoma filtration surgery, discuss the considerations in assessing these models and describe future steps in evaluating potential therapeutics and bleb characteristics that could impact translational research in this field.