[The mode of action of trabeculectomy (author's transl)].

We could ascertain the mode of action of trabeculectomy by clinical research in more than 370 eyes after the operation and especially by the injection of fluorescein into the anterior chamber in 90 of these eyes. The following drainage mechanisms of the aqueous humor were observed: 1. Outflow through new developed aqueous veins (trabeculectomy-veins), 2. Bulkflow through lymphatic vessels, 3. Diffuse resorption into the subconjunctival tissue, 4. Outflow through normal aqueous veins. The latter mechanism is seldom of great importance. In only three cases passed all of the visible aqueous outflow through normal aqueous veins. In these cases an opening of Schlemm's canal could be assumed. In all of the other eyes we could not find any evidence for an outflow through Schlemm's canal whether there was a filtering bleb or not. This means that from the presence or absence of a visible bleb no conclusion can be drawn as to the mode of action.