Surgical Approaches in Treating Uncontrolled Glaucoma in Black African and African-Caribbeans

Summary

The aim is to perform a randomised feasibility trial preceding a large prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing three surgical methods - trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C (MMC), primary Baerveldt tube with MMC and Baerveldt tube without MMC - in black African/African Caribbean patients with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) living in London. The UK Office of National Statistics estimated that among the population of England in 2007, approximately 4.3% were of African/African-Caribbean background, while in large cities such as London and Birmingham about 20% of the population is of African/African-Caribbean origin. For eye units in these cities, managing glaucoma in this population is challenging and we need to identify a better alternative to our current standard surgical treatment. There is now evidence from one RCT which shows better overall outcomes from tube surgery in comparison to trabeculectomy for glaucoma. However, this study did not address black populations specifically and did not address the potential role of MMC in tube surgery. This feasibility study will enable us to design a fully powered RCT with the aim of determining how best to optimise the surgical treatment of POAG in black populations, by comparing outcomes in three types of glaucoma surgery.

Timeline

Start

2016-08

Primary completion

2017-12

Completion

2017-12

Drugs

Indications