Penetrating canaloplasty for treating angle-closure glaucoma

Abstract

A penetrating canaloplasty for treating angle-closure glaucoma that retains the advantages of canaloplasty, namely, internal drainage and non-bleb-dependence; the sclera is tightly sutured so as to avoid ocular hypotension and shallow anterior chamber complications; bleb-related complications such as postoperative infection and dry eye are avoided; since an inner wall of the Schlemm's canal is resected, it is possible to improve long-term success rates; indications are widened, including angle-closure glaucoma and all of glaucoma patients applicable to trabeculectomy. Traditional trabeculectomy forms blebs through outer filtering to reduce intraocular pressure, and the existence of blebs can influence postoperative living quality of patients. In contrast, the penetrating canaloplasty is a non-filtering operation, does not form blebs after operation, does not damage immunologic and physiologic structure of ocular surfaces and slightly influences quality of the tear film, and patients may gain relatively good ocular surface environment after operation.