To assess and compare the clinical outcomes of primary trabeculectomy with mitomycin C and Ahmed valve implantation for secondary open-angle glaucoma following uveitis.

This study was conducted retrospectively on 30 eyes of 25 patients with open-angle glaucoma secondary to uveitis that had undergone trabeculectomy with mitomycin C and 33 eyes of 24 patients that had undergone Ahmed valve implantation. The clinical outcome indicators used in this study were intraocular pressure (IOP), number of anti-glaucoma agents, surgical success rate and occurrence of complications.

Mean IOP and surgical success rate in patients who had undergone trabeculectomy with mitomycin C after a 12 month postoperative period were 14.0±8.2 mmHg and 76.7%, respectively, while those of patients with Ahmed valve implantation were 13.2±7.7 mmHg and 81.8%. The data did not show clinical significance. There was greater risk of surgical failure in patients at a younger age and/or with diabetes mellitus in cases of having gone through trabeculectomy with mitomycin C.

Both trabeculectomy with mitomycon C and Ahmed valve implantation can be considered as primary surgical treatments for patients with open-angle glaucoma secondary to uveitis. However, trabeculectomy with mitomycin C should only be applied to a limited extent in patients that are young and/or have diabetes mellitus.