Nicola CARDASCIA
Francesco CANTATORE
Paolo FERRERI
Luigi SBORGIA
Giovanni ALESSIO

Abstract This study was designed to compare the success of patients with ocular hypertension, secondary to pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade, who received an Ex-PRESS Glaucoma Filtration Device P۵۰ (Alcon Laboratories, Inc. Fort Worth, Texas, USA) to those who had conventional trabeculectomy. The records of ۱۰ eyes of ۱۰ consecutive subjects who had Ex-press implants and ۹ eyes of ۹ consecutive controls who had trabeculectomy procedures were reviewed. Success was defined as the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients who did not require further glaucoma surgery in the eye of note during the entire follow-up. IOP was reduced by ۱۰.۳ ± ۹.۷ mmHg (range -۳۱ to ۳) in the Ex-PRESS group and by ۱۳.۹ ± ۱۱.۴ mmHg (range -۳۵ to -۴) in the trabeculectomy group. The difference in the percentage of IOP reduction between the standard trabeculectomy group (۴۲.۷%) and the Ex-PRESS group (۳۵.۹%) was not statistically significant (P = ۰.۷۲). The Ex-PRESS device seems to be at least as effective as the standard trabeculectomy in lowering the IOP of patients with hypertension secondary to pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade. Even though the data suggested that the Ex-PRESS device did not result in an overall greater reduction in IOP than trabeculectomy, this does not reach statistical significance.