The Management of Patients with Cataracts and Medically Uncontrolled Glaucoma

Trabeculectomy surgery has been shown to lower intraocular pressure and is the most commonly performed glaucoma procedure worldwide. However, giving a patient a 'bleb for life' is not without consequences and the failure of trabeculectomy to control IOP in the long term is well documented. In some instances, such as in patients with exfoliative glaucoma or primary angle closure glaucoma, cataract surgery alone can often lower IOP to acceptable levels. Cataract surgery in these instances can sometimes be combined with procedures such as goniosynechialysis or endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation which may provide additional IOP lowering. Such surgery has the distinct advantage of avoiding conjunctival incisions, so that subsequent trabeculectomy, if required, is more likely to be successful. In any case, it is preferable to perform trabeculectomy in a pseudophakic eye for several reasons. If trabeculectomy is performed in a phakic eye, patients should be warned that subsequent cataract is likely and if cataract surgery is performed it is preferable to wait at least a year or more after the trabeculectomy to reduce the risk of bleb failure. Combined phacotrabeculectomy should be reserved for end-stage glaucoma in most cases, in order to reduce the risk of 'wipe-out'.