Trends in the surgical treatment of glaucoma in recent decades

Abstract

The analysis of trends in the surgical treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) allows assessing changes in the indications for surgical treatment, the number of glaucoma surgery and their modifications, as well as the demographic characteristics of patients, duration of preoperative therapy and the effectiveness of treatment.The results indicate that over the past 20 years in the Russian Federation there was a shift towards an increasingly long-term therapeutic strategy used before the surgical stage of treatment, and, in general, a decrease in the number of performed glaucoma surgeries. There is much concern about late surgical treatment, which is confirmed by the established increase in the age of first-time operated patients, and the tendency to increase the number of operations at a far advanced stage of the disease. Most of the published studies on the postoperative hypotensive efficacy of surgery are of limited duration, which does not allow an adequate assessment of the results of treatment. Early appointment of medical hypotensive therapy after surgical intervention indicates a low interaction between outpatient and inpatient specialists, which hinders the possibility of early correction of postoperative problems. The recent increase in the number of scientific works, especially patents, focusing on the search for new technologies that can be implemented in glaucoma surgery, the development of modern drainage devices and the methods for prolonging the hypotensive effect after surgery gives a reason for optimism. The performed analysis dictates the need to develop and implement measures aimed at clearly defined indications for timely surgical treatment and creation of conditions for a complex relationship between the patient, outpatient ophthalmologist and glaucoma surgeon.