Risks in the surgical treatment of far-advanced glaucoma in the only seeing eye

Abstract

This review summarizes the results of surgical treatment of far-advanced stage glaucoma in the only seeing eye. A literature search performed in the PubMed search engine and aimed at finding publications reporting the clinical outcomes of treatment in patients with glaucoma in the only seeing eye did yield sufficient data related to the topic. A comprehensive analysis of the available data was performed with an emphasis on the choice of treatment tactics and postoperative results at various times following a surgery. Several studies allowed to perform a comparison of the clinical advantages and cost-effectiveness of medical treatment versus surgery for advanced glaucoma, as well as to assess potential risks and adverse outcomes such as glaucoma progression, postoperative scarring, hypotension and other complications. The results presented in this review suggest that common success criteria can provide uniformity in academic studies, but in daily clinical practice each glaucoma specialist must make a patient-specific decision in favor of either of these methods of treatment in order to guarantee an optimal result, both for the doctor and, of course, for the patient.