A Survey of the Congenital Glaucoma Surgery Practice Patterns in the Indian Pediatric Glaucoma Society.

PURPOSE: To assess the practice patterns among the Indian Pediatric Glaucoma Society (IPGS) members in the management of children with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG).

METHODS

An anonymous 74-question survey was administered online via Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah, USA) using a link sent by email to the 88 IPGS members. The questionnaire comprised five sections and was designed to gather information regarding respondent demographics and specialty training, clinic composition and volume, surgical practices and preferences, follow-up practices, and additional services. The survey was closed after 10 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.

RESULTS

The response rate was 82%. Of the 71 respondents, 49 (69%) reported possessing glaucoma fellowship training that included specialist training in pediatric glaucoma. By comparison, 8 respondents (11%) reported possessing pediatric ophthalmology fellowship training that included specialist training in pediatric glaucoma, and this difference was statistically significant (69% vs. 11%; χ2 = 47.37; p < .0001). The majority of the respondents were in ophthalmic institution-based practice (83%) and were located in South India (58%). In cases of hazy cornea, the most common surgery (95%) performed was combined trabeculotomy-trabeculectomy while goniotomy was most preferred (49%) in cases of clear cornea. Approximately, one-half of the respondents (56%) preferred to operate on each eye in separate sessions, whereas 46% preferred to operate on both eyes in the same session. One-half of the respondents (51%) preferred to use mitomycin-C in primary surgery. The most common challenges in providing care were patient-related, including delayed presentation, high travel costs, and low socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a substantial consensus was found in most areas of management, a few areas, for example, use of MMC in primary surgery, showed diversity. The information gathered will enable glaucomatologists to compare their practices with those of their colleagues. In addition, this survey provides a baseline, allowing future trends in management to be determined.