The Armenian Eye Care Project: surgical outcomes of complicated paediatric glaucoma

Aim: To review surgical results of the Armenian Eye Care Project’s (AECP) efforts in paediatric glaucoma and to identify additional morbidity associated with its initial itinerant nature. Methods: A non-randomised, retrospective historical cohort study of complicated paediatric glaucoma surgeries was performed by the AECP at the Republican Eye Hospital. 38 eyes of 34 paediatric patients underwent mitomycin C trabeculectomies (MMCT) (n = 20) or Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) placements (n = 18) for complicated paediatric glaucomas. The median age was 12.5 years with a range of 6–17 years. Three clinical groups were represented: congenital glaucoma, Frank Kamenetsky syndrome (a glaucoma associated with uveitis), and Rieger’s syndrome. Results: Preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressures were similar for the two groups (MMCT v AGV = 30 v 32 mm Hg and 13.5 v 14.8 mm Hg, respectively; p>0.05, t test). The AGV group was twice as likely to use medications postoperatively (44% v 23%; p