Prospective evaluation of wipe-out after glaucoma filtration surgery in eyes with split fixation

PURPOSE: To assess the incidence and cause of idiopathic, irreversible loss of vision (“wipe-out”) in the early post-operative period after glaucoma-filtration surgery in advanced glaucoma. METHODS: It was a prospective, interventional cohort study. Patients with advanced glaucoma and macular split fixation underwent either only trabeculectomy (group A) or combined phaco-emulsification with trabeculectomy (group B). The incidence and cause of visual loss, changes in intra-ocular pressure, visual acuity, and visual field indices during 2 months post surgery were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty patients (30 eyes) were divided in two groups. No significant difference was noted between the pre-operative and post-operative mean deviations in both groups (P = 0.41, P = 0.65). Two eyes in group A and one eye in group B had visual loss of two lines or more at the end of 2 months because of cataract and choroidal detachment. None of the eyes showed “wipe-out”. CONCLUSION: “Wipe-out” is a rare phenomenon after surgery in advanced glaucoma.