Small palpebral fissure as a significant risk factor for glaucoma surgery failure
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Purpose
To evaluate the impact of “not commonly considered risk factors” on glaucoma surgical outcomes.
Methods
This study included 339 eyes that underwent glaucoma surgery. Surgical procedures included microhook ab-interno trabeculotomy (µTLO), Preserflo ab-externo microshunt implantation, trabeculectomy (Trab), and Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) implantation. In addition to conventional background factors, we examined a set of “not commonly considered risk factors,” including very elderly age (≥85 years), avitreous status, aphakia, use of antithrombotic agents, difficulty attending frequent postoperative visits, small palpebral fissure, corneal endothelial dysfunction, poor vision in the fellow eye, dementia, hearing loss, mental illness, atopic dermatitis, pseudophacodonesis, glaucoma eye drop allergy, and conditions contraindicating β-blocker use. Surgical success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) ≤21 mmHg, ≥20% reduction from baseline, and no additional glaucoma surgery at 1 year. Logistic regression was performed to identify potential risk factors; significant factors were further evaluated using propensity score matching.
Results
Of the 339 cases, surgical success rates were 65% for µTLO, 82% for Preserflo, 91% for Trab, and 82% for AGV. Multivariate logistic regression identified two independent predictors of surgical failure: small palpebral fissure (odds ratio 2.52, p < 0.01) and hearing loss (odds ratio 3.94, p = 0.04). Propensity score matching of patients with small versus large palpebral fissures (111 per group) confirmed significantly worse postoperative outcomes in the small-palpebral-fissure group despite balanced baseline characteristics.
Conclusion
Small palpebral fissure is an independent and previously unnoticed risk factor for glaucoma surgical failure, affecting both minimally invasive and filtration procedures.
Précis
This study identifies small palpebral fissures as an independent risk factor for glaucoma surgery failure and highlights the clinical importance of evaluating under-recognised patient characteristics when planning surgical procedures.
