Clinical Experience with the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implant

Kim, Suk Dong; Lee, Jeong Ho

Abstract

This study was performed to determine effectiveness and safety of Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation for control of intraocular pressure in patients that had not responded to medical treatment and previous glaucoma surgery. Thirty eyes of 30 patients who had undergone Ahmed glaucoma valve implant surgery between April 1996 and October 1997 were reviewed retrospectively. Intraocular pressure(IOP) was reduced from a mean of 35.3+/-13.0mmHg to 14.3+/-5.9 mmHg at follow-up intervals of 6 to 28 months(mean 13.2+/-4.9 months). In 26 eyes(86.7%) IOP could be controlled between 6mmHg and 21mmHg. When surgical success was defined as IOP less than 22mmHg and greater than 5mmHg with or without medications, 9 and 12-months life table success rate(6< OR =IOP< OR =21mmHg) were 89.4% and 85.0%, respectively. Postoperative comlications included shallow anterior chamber in four eyes(13.3%), hypotony in two eyes(6.7%), hyphema in two eyes(6.7%), temporarily uncontrolled IOP(>21mmHg) in two eyes(6.7%), hyphema in two eyes(6.7%), blocked tube in two eyes(6.7%) and anterior chamber inflammation in one eye(3.3%). The result of this study suggests that the Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation is effective in lowering the IOP in patients with intractable glaucoma. However, this drainage device does not climinate early postoperative hypotony with its attendant complication.