One tube for all: 1-year outcomes after transition to Paul glaucoma implant at a tertiary centre.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effect and success rate of Paul glaucoma implant (PGI) in refractory glaucoma after changing practice pattern from Ahmed and Baerveldt tubes to PGI.

METHODS

A prospective observational study of the first 50 consecutive PGI surgeries at a single Danish tertiary centre from January 2022 to October 2023. Primary endpoints were IOP and success rates after 12 months. Secondary endpoints were the use of IOP-lowering medications and complications. All cases had a risk of failure for traditional glaucoma surgery (neovascular glaucoma, oil-filled eye or uveitis).

RESULTS

Preoperative IOP was 29.9 ± 8.6 mmHg and the mean number of topical IOP-lowering medications used was 3.4 ± 0.76 with 14 cases of systemic acetazolamide. Twelve months after surgery IOP was reduced to 11.4 ± 3.1 mmHg and complete success rate with (a) IOP≤21 mmHg was achieved in 43%, (b) IOP≤18 mmHg in 43%, (c) IOP≤15 mmHg in 41% and (d) IOP≤12 mmHg in 33%. Qualified success rate (on topical glaucoma medications) was achieved in (a) 96%, (b) 94%, (c) 86% and (d) 71% of the cases. The number of topical IOP-lowering medications was 0.9 ± 0.9 after surgery and 47% were medication free. Early (<3 months) and late (>3 months) complications were observed in 22% and 16% of patients respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that PGI provides a good IOP-lowering effect after 12 months in a population with risk factors for failure for traditional glaucoma surgery.