Steroid induced glaucoma is a well known and widely described disastrous clinical condition. However the subject of selection of most effective and safe treatment modality is still being discussed.
Sihota R et al reported that 26.5% cases required surgical treatment to control IOP. Unfortunately survival rate of successful blebs in 10 years after trabeculectomy varies from 40% to 60%. Anti-fibrotic agent MMC as adjunct to filtration surgery was used to prevent postoperative scarring that could compromise surgical success of trabeculectomy. Additional use of MMC in trabeculectomy leads to low final IOP but could be associated with such complications as cataract formation, intraocular toxicity, avascular filtering blebs, wound leakage, subsequent blebitis and endophthalmitis. Tissue-engineered biodegradable and biocompatible implant Ologen® Collagen Matrix may be used as an alternative to MMC. Ologen® is CE Mark and FDA approved artificial porcine extracellular matrix for modulating wound healing. Ologen® has been tested in animal models and has triple action:
1. prevent the collapse of the subconjunctival space;
2. guides the fibroblast to grow through the matrix pores thus preventing scar formation;
3. may act as an aqueous reservoir (avoids post-op hyperfiltration and shallow anterior chamber).
The filtering blebs scoring was performed by using Moorfields Bleb Grading System and Visante anterior segment optical coherence tomography.
