• Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy with the potential to cause blindness. The most important and most modifiable risk factor for the development of glaucoma is raised intraocular pressure (IOP).
• Phacoemulsification-endocyclophotocoagulation (phaco-ECP) provided IOP lowering or reduction of topical therapy use in heterogenous glaucoma populations.

Objective

To assess the safety and efficacy of endocyclophotocoagulation with phacoemulsification (phaco-ECP) in surgically naive, primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

IOP: Intraocular pressure; SD: Standard deviation.

Figure 1 shows the changes in intraocular pressure over the time of study

Intraocular pressure outcomes showing (a) mean IOP (±95% CI) per year and (b) mean number of ocular hypotensive agents (±95% CI) per year.
Significant change from baseline in both outcomes was seen at all timepoints, corrected for multiple comparisons (****p<0.0001).

Table 1 shows the annual summary measures of all study eyes (final visit per year).

Last pre-operative observation was carried in the case of subsequent filtration surgery (n=1).
IOP: Intraocular pressure; MD: Mean deviation; PSD: Pattern standard deviation; SD: Standard deviation.

The study concludes that ECP combined with phaco-ECP lowers IOP and reduces the need for topical medication. It also provides an excellent safety profile in a unique, surgically naive POAG population, and so it should be explored as an alternative to minimally or micro-invasive glaucoma surgery devices.

Source:
Yap, T.E., Zollet, P., Husein, S. et al. Endocyclophotocoagulation combined with phacoemulsification in surgically naive primary openangle glaucoma: three-year results. Eye (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-021-01734–4

NON-2022-15053 - Date of creation January 2023