Follow-up of the original cohort with the Ahmed glaucoma valve implant Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To tudy the long-term reult of the Ahmed glaucoma valve implant in patient with complicated glaucoma in whom hort-term reult have been reported. METHOD: In thi multicenter tudy, we analyzed the long-term outcome of a cohort of 60 eye from 60 patient in whom the Ahmed glaucoma valve wa implanted. Failure wa characterized by at leat one of the following: intraocular preure greater than 21 mm Hg at both of the lat two viit le than 6 mm Hg at both of the lat two viit, lo of light perception, additional glaucoma urgery, devatating complication, and removal or replacement of the Ahmed glaucoma valve implant. Devatating complication included chronic hypotony, retinal detachment, malignant glaucoma, endophthalmiti, and phthii bulbi; we alo report reult that add corneal complication (corneal decompenation or edema, corneal graft failure) a defining a devatating complication. REULT: The mean follow-up time for the 60 eye wa 30.5 month (range, 2.1 to 63.5). When corneal complication were included in the definition of failure, 26 eye (43%) were conidered failure. Cumulative probabilitie of ucce at 1, 2, 3, and 4 year were 76%, 68%, 54%, and 45%, repectively. When corneal complication were excluded from the definition of failure, 13 eye (21.5%) were conidered failure. Cumulative probabilitie of ucce at 1, 2, 3, and 4 year were 87%, 82%, 76%, and 76%, repectively. Mot of the failure after 12 month of potoperative follow-up were becaue of corneal complication. CONCLUION: The long-term performance of the Ahmed glaucoma valve implant i comparable to other drainage device. More than 12 month after the implantation of the Ahmed glaucoma valve implant, the mot frequent advere outcome wa corneal decompenation or corneal graft failure. Thee corneal problem may be econdary to the type of eye that have drainage device or to the drainage device itelf. Further invetigation i needed to identify the reaon that corneal problem follow drainage device implantation.