Management of complications in glaucoma surgery.

Surgical option for glaucoma is considered when other modalities are not working out to keep the intraocular pressure under control. Since the surgical procedures for glaucoma disrupt the integrity of the globe, they are known to produce various complications. Some of those complications can be vision-threatening. To minimize the morbidity, it is very important that one should know how to prevent them, recognize them and treat them. The objective of this article is to provide insight into some of those complications that will help the ophthalmologists in treating glaucoma patients in their clinical practice.

Importance of population-based studies in clinical practice.

In the last decade, there have been reports on the prevalence of glaucoma from the Vellore Eye Survey, Andhra Pradesh Eye Diseases Survey, Aravind Comprehensive Eye Survey, Chennai Glaucoma Study and West Bengal Glaucoma Study. Population-based studies provide important information regarding the prevalence and risk factors for glaucoma. They also highlight regional differences in the prevalence of various types of glaucoma. It is possible to gather important insights regarding the number of persons affected with glaucoma and the proportion with undiagnosed disease. We reviewed the different population-based studies from India and compare their findings. The lacunae in ophthalmic care that can be inferred from these studies are identified and possible reasons and solutions are discussed. We also discuss the clinical relevance of the various findings, and how it reflects on clinical practice in the country. Since India has a significantly high disease burden, we examine the possibility of population-based screening for disease in the Indian context.