Sodium hyaluronate in trabeculectomy: a retrospective study.

In this retrospective study the results of trabeculectomy in 21 patients with open-angle glaucoma and no previous eye surgery who were followed up for at least 1 year were analysed. In 10 patients sodium hyaluronate had been injected during the operation to cushion the anterior chamber; the other 11 patients served as controls. The two groups had been comparable preoperatively with respect to characteristics assessed postoperatively. The subjects in the sodium hyaluronate group had better visual acuity and less postoperative hypotony. Although the series was too small to statistically validate the following observations, these subjects had better visual fields, their intraocular pressure was easier to control, and they had fewer complications; in particular, none had collapse of the anterior chamber.