Surgical technique for advanced juvenile glaucoma.

The main causes of drainage operation failure are early hypotonia, blockage of the surgical opening, and excessive bleb scarring. By using draining implants, inserted in two stages, together with the temporary administration of medication to control bleb fibrosis, the surgeon can circumvent these causes of failure and drain the most severe and complex cases of glaucoma with good immediate and long-term results. This surgical technique failed in only four of the 83 eyes with advanced juvenile glaucoma.