THE DEVELOPMENT OF CATARACT FOLLOWING TRABECULECTOMY

Objective-To determine the risk of cataract development following trabeculectomy. Design-A prospective follow-up study of patients seen pre-operatively and at one, three, six and 12 months following surgery and subsequently at yearly intervals. Setting-Ophthalmology Department of Nottingham University Hospital. Patients-Fifty-seven patients with primary open angle glaucoma, including pseudoexfoliation, undergoing trabeculectomy. Main outcome measures-Increases in lens opacity measured by the Lens Opacity Meter 701, the Keeler Projectoscope and clinical grading. Results-Of 35 patients seen at six months post-operatively, none had lost two Snellen lines of visual acuity due to lens opacity, although three patients showed evidence of increasing lens opacity on all three parameters. Conclusion-There is no evidence of visually significant lens opacity occurring at six months post-operative follow-up.