Retinal vein occlusion after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C.

PURPOSE: To evaluate acute retinal vein occlusion as a potential complication of trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in cases of advanced glaucoma. METHODS: The records of three patients who developed retinal vein occlusions immediately after uncomplicated trabeculectomy with mitomycin C were reviewed. RESULTS: All three patients had advanced open-angle glaucoma with total cupping of the optic nerve, severe visual field loss, and evidence of systemic vascular disease. A marked decrease in intraocular pressure was noted in the postoperative period in all of the patients. CONCLUSION: A shift in the lamina cribrosa, associated with the perioperative intraocular pressure change, may have contributed to occlusion of the venous outflow system in these susceptible patients.

Duke Scholars

Author Leon Walker Herndon Jr. Ophthalmology, Glaucoma