What is driving the decision to perform a filtering procedure

Purpose To assess what is driving the decision to perform a filtering procedure in a patient suffering from glaucoma. Methods Retrospective study in one single University centre with one glaucoma specialist. All the indications for filtering glaucoma surgeries (alone or combined with cataract extraction) undertaken during 2013 with the same surgeon were reviewed. The indications were as follows: clinical evaluation of the optic disc, visual field progression, progression on imaging (OCT and HRT), poor tolerance to medical treatment, non controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) and cataract. Results Retrospective study in one single University centre with one glaucoma specialist. All the indications for filtering glaucoma surgeries (alone or combined with cataract extraction) undertaken during 2013 with the same surgeon were reviewed. The indications were as follows: clinical evaluation of the optic disc, visual field progression, progression on imaging (OCT and HRT), poor tolerance to medical treatment, non controlled intraocular pressure (IOP) and cataract. Conclusion The indications for glaucoma surgery may be highly variable according to the country, the practice and the surgeon. A multicentre study should be useful to better define what is driving the indications for glaucoma surgery.