Deep sclerectomy shows long-term success in managing childhood glaucoma

Deep sclerectomy is an effective and safe long-term surgical option for treating childhood glaucoma, providing good visual outcomes and controlling intraocular pressure (IOP) with relatively few complications, according to a study.

The study, which reviewed 83 eyes from 68 patients with an average age of 11.1 years, found that most cases involved primary congenital glaucoma (83%). Patients were followed for over a decade.

Post-surgery, 56.6% of cases achieved good vision (20/40 or better), 18.1% had moderate vision (20/40 to 20/200), and 25.3% had poor vision (20/200 or worse). The surgery successfully controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) without medication in 63.86% of eyes. Additionally, 9.6% of cases required medication to manage IOP, while 26.5% either did not reach the target IOP or needed further surgery. Complications occurred in 10.74% of cases.

Overall, deep sclerectomy offers substantial benefits in managing childhood glaucoma, with effective long-term vision outcomes and IOP control, despite a moderate rate of complications

Reference
Alkhalifah MI, Mousa A, Al Obeidan SA. Long-term Visual Acuity Outcomes of Deep Sclerectomy in Pediatric Glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 2024;doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002490. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39190395.