Cataract extraction combined with trabeculotomy.

Eyes with glaucomatous damage as well as eyes showing a clear elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) to levels above normal frequently develop a permanent elevation of IOP after phacoemulsification or extracapsular cataract extraction, whereas the pressure in normal eyes usually decreases. In eyes with glaucomatous damage, we therefore combined cataract extraction with an antiglaucomatous operation, especially if a moderate pressure elevation was present: trabeculotomy and cataract extraction were performed in the same procedure. A corneal incision was used for phacoemulsification or extracapsular cataract extraction. The effects of the operation on the IOP and the visual acuity as well as the incidence of postoperative complications were investigated. In 44 operated eyes, the combination of cataract extraction and trabeculotomy proved to result in few complications and had a sufficient pressure-decreasing effect that continued throughout the 18 months of postoperative follow-up.