A randomized trial of the long-term effects of digital ocular compression in the late postoperative period.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether digital ocular compression is a viable technique to lower intraocular pressure in patients at least 3 months after trabeculectomy.


METHODS
A 6-month prospective, randomized, controlled, single-masked trial of 29 patients who underwent a trabeculectomy at the Glaucoma Service of Wills Eye Hospital. Patients were assigned to two groups: ocular compression or cheekbone compression (control group). The ocular compression group performed compression to the operated eye three times a day in the pattern of 10 seconds of pressure, 5 seconds of rest, and 10 seconds of pressure. Pressure was applied with the index finger through the closed lid to the center of the cornea. Pressure was steady and firm, but not painful. No massaging was performed. The cheekbone compression group applied pressure to the zygomatic arch with an identical style and frequency.


RESULTS
At 6 months, the change in mean intraocular pressure for the ocular compression group was 0.25 mm Hg compared with -0.44 mm Hg for the control group (P = 0.7). A few patients in both groups experienced large swings in intraocular pressure and mild to moderate discomfort.


CONCLUSIONS
Ocular compression had little to no success in the long-term management of increased intraocular pressure in the late postoperative period in this study.
Henderer
J D
JD
William and Anna Goldberg Glaucoma Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA. henderer@willsglaucoma.org
Heeg
M C
MC
Spaeth
G L
GL
Moster
M R
MR
Myers
J S
JS
Schmidt
C M
CM
Katz
L J
LJ
Steinmann
W C
WC
D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014130:Trabeculectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome