Surgical Outcomes of the Ahmed Valve Implantation Following Trans-scleral Cyclophotocoagulation

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#To determine the intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effect and complications of Ahmed valve implantation (AGV) in patients who underwent cyclophotocoagulation (CPC). @*Methods@#Patients who underwent AGV after CPC in group 1, those who underwent CPC after AGV in group 2, and patients who underwent repeated CPC in group 3 were included in this retrospective observational study. Changes in IOP, number of glaucoma eye drops, and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were analyzed before and 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery, and postoperative complications were analyzed. @*Results@#Eight patients in group 1, 10 patients in group 2, and seven patients in group 3 were included in the analysis. Preoperative IOP was 45.6 ± 15.5, 29.3 ± 5.6, and 43.4 ± 14.4 mmHg in the three groups, respectively, and the number of glaucoma eye drops was 3.8 ± 0.7, 3.9 ± 0.3, and 3.7 ± 1.0 in the three groups, respectively. At 12 months postoperatively, IOP decreased significantly in all three groups compared to preoperatively (all p < 0.05), and the number of glaucoma eye drops was also significantly reduced (all p < 0.05). Among patients with preoperative BCVA of 0.02 decimal or higher, postoperative BCVA decreased in two patients in group 2 and one in group 3 (p = 0.380). Hypotony occurred in one patient in group 1 and two patients in group 3 (p = 0.383), and among them, one patient in group 1 and one patient in group 3 progressed to the phthisis (p = 0.940). @*Conclusions@#In patients whose IOP cannot be controlled after CPC, AGV is expected to be used as a relatively safe and effective treatment method for lowering IOP.