Long-Term Outcomes of Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in Eyes with Prior Glaucoma Surgery.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in eyes that had previously undergone trabeculectomy and/or drainage device implantation.

DESIGN

Retrospective, noncomparative case series.

METHODS

Medical records of 251 consecutive DMEK procedures performed by 1 surgeon (S.X.D.) from 2013 to 2017 were reviewed. Patients with ≥2 years of follow-up were divided into 3 groups: eyes with prior glaucoma surgery (ST), eyes with medically treated glaucoma (MT), and eyes without glaucoma (NG). Main outcomes measured were visual acuity, endothelial cell count (ECC), rates of secondary graft failure (SGF), and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Ninety procedures (87 eyes) met inclusion criteria. The mean follow-up period of all eyes was 38.4 ± 11.2 months (range, 24.2-64.4 months). At last follow-up, the proportion of eyes reaching a vision of ≥20/40 was higher than that before the DMEK procedure in each group (all P .05).

CONCLUSIONS

In eyes with prior glaucoma surgery, DMEK achieved good long-term visual outcomes but experienced a higher rate of SGF than eyes without such comorbidity.