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This abstract is assigned to session BGS: Belgian Glaucoma Society

Title

Don’t delay surgery

Purpose	Trabeculectomy still remains the most reliable surgical procedure to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in the vast majority of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma. The typical indication for surgical intervention is progressive glaucomatous damage that is likely to lead to functional impairment during the patient’s lifetime.
Methods	Physicians now have to estimate the patient’s lifespan and judge what IOP level will help preserve a lifetime of useful visual function.
Results	On the one hand, there are patients in whom progressive of disease has been noted and the likelihood of this causing functional impairment during the patient’lifetime is high. Therefore don’t delay surgery in those patients. On the other hand, a patient with a small nasal step that has slowly progressed over the last 10 years with the pressure in the low 20s may not require any intervention at all. The risks of surgery on this patient probably outweigh the possible benefits. This may temper one’s judgement away from filtration surgery to other methods of pressure reduction that are less invasive.
Conclusion	No matter what the case, it is always useful to remind the patient that glaucoma is treatable but not curable condition. This therapeutic dialogue opens the door to a lifetime of treatment.

Author 1

Last name	COLLIGNON
Initials	N
Department	CHU de Liège
City	Liège