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Blindness following bleb-related infection in open angle glaucoma

  • Clinical Investigation
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Abstract

Purpose

To estimate the risk of blindness following bleb-related infection after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in open angle glaucoma, utilizing data obtained from two prospective multicenter studies.

Methods

The incidence of bleb-related infection in open angle glaucoma after the first or second glaucoma surgery was calculated using a Kaplan–Meier analysis and data from the Collaborative Bleb-related Infection Incidence and Treatment Study (CBIITS). The rate of blindness following bleb-related infection was calculated using data from the Japan Glaucoma Society Survey of Bleb-related Infection (JGSSBI). Finally, the rate of blindness following bleb-related infection after filtering surgery was estimated based on the above two data sets. Blindness was defined as an eye with a visual acuity of 0.04 or less.

Results

The incidences of development of bleb-related infection at 5 years were 2.6 ± 0.7 % (calculated cumulative incidence ± standard error) for all infections and 0.9 ± 0.4 % for endophthalmitis in all cases in the CBIITS data. The rates of blindness in the JGSSBI data were 14 % for the total cases with bleb-related infection and 30 % for the endophthalmitis subgroup. The rate of blindness developing within 5 years following trabeculectomy was estimated to be approximately 0.24–0.36 %.

Conclusions

The rate of blindness following bleb-related infection within 5 years after trabeculectomy is considerable and thus careful consideration must be given to the indication for trabeculectomy and the selection of surgical techniques.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their deep appreciation to the Japan Glaucoma Society for the opportunity to perform this research.

Conflicts of interest

H. Yamada, None; A. Sawada, None; Y. Kuwayama, None; T. Yamamoto, None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu-shi, 501-1194, Japan

    Hiroki Yamada, Akira Sawada & Tetsuya Yamamoto

  2. Fukushima Eye Clinic, Osaka, Japan

    Yasuaki Kuwayama

Authors
  1. Hiroki Yamada
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  2. Akira Sawada
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  3. Yasuaki Kuwayama
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  4. Tetsuya Yamamoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akira Sawada.

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Yamada, H., Sawada, A., Kuwayama, Y. et al. Blindness following bleb-related infection in open angle glaucoma. Jpn J Ophthalmol 58, 490–495 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-014-0346-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-014-0346-0

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