Glaucoma Treatment in German Hospitals in 2019

Abstract

Background Surgical procedures in ophthalmology are subject to fluctuations in their application and are dependent on new developments, availability, and success rates. In the field of glaucoma surgery in particular, numerous new procedures have been introduced over the last few years. So far, hardly any analyses have been done on the current application of these newer procedures. In this paper, we present the extent to which different glaucoma surgery procedures were used in German hospitals in 2019.

Methods The quality reports of German hospitals from 2019 were evaluated regarding all glaucoma-specific procedure codes. In particular, laser procedures, “classic” glaucoma procedures, and “modern” procedures such as MIGS (minimally invasive glaucoma surgery) are compared below.

Results In 2019, 49,031 glaucoma procedures were performed in German hospitals. Numerically, cyclodestructive procedures were used most frequently. MIGS accounted for approximately 10% of procedures according to the available data. Among filtering procedures, about 40% were implant-assisted.

Discussion and Conclusion On the one hand, the data analyzed show a mixed expansion of the spectrum with newer procedures such as the MIGS and implants; on the other hand, classic procedures such as cyclodestruction are still used. It can be assumed that further shifts in surgical methods will be seen in the coming years.

Key words

glaucoma surgery - MIGS - trabeculectomy - laser trabeculoplasty

Publication History

Received: 02 November 2021

Accepted: 17 December 2021

Article published online:
23 March 2022

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