Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation for refractory glaucoma

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of Ahmed valve implantation for refractory glaucoma and discuss the postoperative complications and management.Methods A retrospective study was conducted to documents of 23 eyes with refractory glaucoma from 21patients who undergone Ahmed valve implantation.The subject had a minimum 6 months of follow-up after surgery.Results The follow-up ranged from 6 to 24months (mean 20.1 ±7.2months).There was no significant change in visual acuity during follow-up.Intraocular pressure was reduced from a preoperative mean of (45.70 ± 11.44) mmHg(1 mmHg =0.133 kPa)to a postoperative mean of(26.28 ± 12.02) mmHg( P ＜ 0.01 ) . The cumulative probabilities of success at 1and 2 years were 40％ and 16.7％ and of total success at 1 and 2 years were 70％ and 50％ respectively.The postoperative complications occurred in 19eyes( 82.6％ )include 13 eyes within 1 week after surgery and 6 eyes during 6 to 24 months follow - up. Conclusion Ahmed valve implantation is effective method in the management of refractory glaucoma in spite of its unnegligible complications. Key words: Glaucoma, refractory; Ahmed valve; Surgery; Complications