title: Secondary Epiretinal Membrane After Trabeculectomy.
abstract: To determine the frequency of epiretinal membranes (ERM) in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma subjected to trabeculectomy.
  
  
  
  We conducted a retrospective study on patients subjected to trabeculectomy with at least a 6-month follow-up. Ophthalmologic examination and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were analyzed. Eyes with previous surgical or laser treatments or other pathologies (other than glaucoma and ERM) were excluded.
  
  
  
  A total of 50 eyes (40 patients) were included in this study. The mean follow-up time after surgery was 27.8 months. After surgery, 9 eyes (18%) had preretinal macular fibrosis and 19 eyes (38%) had cellophane macular reflex. Of the 16 eyes with a preoperative macular SD-OCT, 3 (18.8%) developed ERM and 4 (25%) progressed from cellophane macular reflex to preretinal macular fibrosis, after surgery. The ERM frequency did not differ significantly between eyes subjected to trabeculectomy with or without the use of antimetabolites (P=0.08), or between eyes subjected to simple or combined surgery (phacotrabeculectomy) (P=0.09).
  
  
  
  Trabeculectomy may predispose one to the appearance and progression of ERM. Further studies are needed to clarify this intriguing relation.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Central Lisbon Hospital Center †Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon ‡NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luísa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabugueira
authors.forename: Bárbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noronha
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abegão Pinto
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reina
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dutra Medeiros
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014130:Trabeculectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014792:Visual Acuity