The ultimate goal of glaucoma management is the preservation of patients’ visual function and quality of life (QoL). The disease itself as well as the medical or surgical treatment can have an enormous impact on a patient’s QoL. Even the mere diagnosis of a chronic, irreversible, potentially blinding disorder can adversely affect the patient’s sense of well-being and QoL by eliciting significant anxiety. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma rarely present with visual symptoms, at least early in the course of the disease. A better understanding of patient-reported QoL can improve patient–physician interaction and enhance treatment adherence by customizing treatment options based on individual patient profile, thus optimizing long-term prognosis. These aspects are summarized and critically appraised in this article.

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Implantation of Ahmed glaucoma valve is an effective surgical technique to reduce intraocular pressure in patients affected with glaucoma. While in the past, the use of this device was reserved to glaucoma refractory to multiple filtration surgical procedures, up-to-date mounting experience has encouraged its use also as a primary surgery for selected cases. Implantation of Ahmed glaucoma valve can be challenging for the surgeon, especially in patients who already underwent previous multiple surgeries. Several tips have to be acquired by the surgeon, and a long learning curve is always needed. Although the valve mechanism embedded in the Ahmed glaucoma valve decreases the risk of postoperative hypotony-related complications, it does not avoid the need of a careful follow-up. Complications related to this type of surgery include early and late postoperative hypotony, excessive capsule fibrosis around the plate, erosion of the tube or plate edge, and very rarely infection. The aim of this review is to describe surgical technique for Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation and to report related complications.

This study investigated the efficacy and safety of a cross-linked collagen stent (XEN 45) with or without cataract surgery in the treatment of glaucoma. Setting: Real-life setting. Design: Prospective, open-label, multicenter clinical trial. Methods: Eligible patients with glaucoma inadequately controlled by treatment, or poor compliance or intolerance to topical therapy were included. Patients were divided into those with implant only (solo group; phakic and pseudophakic patients) and implant combined with cataract surgery (combo group). Differences in average intraocular pressure (IOP) and number of medications between baseline and study end (12 months), and the rate of qualified and complete success were evaluated. Results: Overall, there were 115 patients in the solo group (43 phakic and 72 pseudophakic) and 56 in the combo group. Compared with baseline, mean IOP (23.