title: Survey of glaucoma surgical preferences and post-operative care in the United Kingdom.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the spectrum of glaucoma surgery and the post-operative follow-up regimes undertaken among glaucoma specialists in the United Kingdom.
  
  
  METHODS
  National survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five glaucoma specialists (consultants and fellows).
  
  
  METHODS
  An eight-question survey was emailed to all glaucoma subspecialists members of the United Kingdom and Eire Glaucoma Society.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgery undertaken, post-operative management, awareness of intervention tariff and handling of the follow-up burden generated through surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost all the participants (74/75: 99%) routinely performed trabeculectomy, 54 responders (72%) undertook tube surgery and Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) was more frequently undertaken (33.0%) than non-penetrating surgery (23%). In general, for patients with advanced glaucoma requiring a low target intraocular pressure (IOP), the most frequent primary intervention was trabeculectomy (99%), followed by tubes (64%). Similarly, in patients with less advanced glaucoma requiring moderate target IOP, participants preferred trabeculectomy (99%), followed by MIGS (60%). By the first 6 months after the procedure, trabeculectomy and Baerveldt tube implant required a larger number of postoperative visits (9 and 7, respectively), than iStent® and non-penetrating deep sclerectomy (3 and 5, respectively). The majority of participants were not aware of the costs of their interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A wide variety of glaucoma surgery techniques are undertaken. Post-operative follow-up regimes are variable between techniques and for surgeons using the same technique. Trabeculectomy requires more follow-up than any other intervention. For patients requiring low IOP, trabeculectomy is the operation of choice for most surgeons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Nottingham University Hospital, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Una
authors.affiliation: Queen's University, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azuara-Blanco
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Nottingham University Hospital, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D005901:Glaucoma / Q000601:surgery*; D020327:Glaucoma Drainage Implants; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D000072163:Ophthalmologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014130:Trabeculectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: glaucoma surgery; intraocular pressure; post-operative management