Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To investigate the effect of cataract surgery on aqueous shunt function. Methods:Retrospective analysis of 24 eyes of 19 patients with functioning Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) who subsequently underwent phacoemulsification (PE) at least 3 months after AGV insertion. The main outcome measures were IOP, number of medications, and visual acuity. Results:Phacoemulsification was performed an average (± SD) of 1.3 (± 1.2) years after AGV insertion. The mean preoperative IOP and number of medications were 15.2 (± 5.1) mmHg and 1.3 (± 0.9), respectively. Four eyes (17%) had an IOP spike of more than 10 mmHg on the first postoperative day. After an IOP increase to 19.6 (± 6.8) mmHg on the first postoperative day (p = .002), the IOP stabilized at 15.2 (± 5.9), 12.6 (± 6.2), and 13.4 (± 3.6) mmHg at 3 months (p > .05), 6 months (p < .001), and last follow–up visits (p > .05) while on 0.9 (± 0.8), 0.9 (± 0.8), and 1.0 (± 1.0) medications, respectively. The mean preoperative visual acuity was 0.2 (± 0.2). Visual acuity at 3 month follow–up was 0.5 ± 0.3 (p = 0.001) and at 6–month follow–up was 0.3 ± 0.2 (p = 0.059). The change in visual acuity was not statistically significant at last follow–up (0.4 ± 0.3; p = 0.113). Eleven eyes (46%) underwent Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy during follow–up and 3 eyes (27%) showed visual improvement and 2 eyes (9%) required insertion of a second AGV. Conclusions:Cataract surgery after insertion of AGV is associated with maintenance of IOP control in most cases and improved vision. The incidence of posterior capsular opacification was high in this group of patients.
Keywords: cataract • aqueous