Long-term intraocular pressure control after cataract extraction with trabeculectomy: phacoemulsification versus extracapsular technique.

Purpose: To compare long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) control after extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation combined with trabeculectomy (ECCE + TRAB) with that after phacotrabeculectomy and IOL implantation.

Setting: Glaucoma Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, England.

Method: This retrospective study comprised 32 eyes having ECCE + TRAB and 31 eyes having phacotrabeculectomy with a mean follow-up of 37.5 and 41.0 months, respectively. The need for pressure-lowering medication was recorded. Kaplan-Meier curves were created for each group.

Results: At every measurement after 3 weeks of follow-up, significantly fewer eyes in the phacotrabeculectomy group required IOP-lowering medication (P = .04).

Conclusions: After both ECCE + TRAB and phacotrabeculectomy, IOP control was achieved in significantly more eyes on fewer pressure-lowering medications than preoperatively. Phacotrabeculectomy with IOL implantation led to better unaided long-term postoperative IOP control than ECCE + TRAB with IOL implantation.