[Chronic open angle glaucoma and cataract: when is it necessary to perform combined surgery?]

Abstract

The combined surgical treatment of cataract and glaucoma has a long and controversial history (1). The guidelines proposed by the European Glaucoma Society facilitate however the therapeutic decisions (2). If the patient with open-angle glaucoma is stabilized with medical treatment it is often sufficient to operate the cataract alone and continue the medical treatment afterwards. If the patient is not stabilized or if the medical treatment is not well tolerated, it is suggested to perform a combined procedure. If visual functions are threatened by the glaucoma it is better to perform the filtering procedure first. We shall overview these options and elaborate on each surgical technique.