Trypan blue staining of filtering bleb in eyes with operate trabeculectomy.

OBJECTIVE

To report the use of trypan blue staining of the filtering bleb to assess its functional status in eyes undergoing phacoemulsification after trabeculectomy.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary eye care centre in North India and studied 33 eyes of 33 patients ( with previously operated trabeculectomy), who underwent phacoemulsification. Trypan blue dye (0.06%) was used to stain the anterior capsule. After completion of phacoemulsification, the staining of the trabeculectomy bleb was noted as diffuse, patchy, minimal or no staining.

RESULTS

Of the 33 eyes, 13 had diffuse staining (39.4%, mean IOP = 9.3 ± 2.2 mm Hg), 7 (21.2%, mean IOP= 15.5 ± 1.8 mm Hg) had patchy staining, 4 had minimal staining (12.1%, mean IOP= 17.5 ± 0.5mm Hg) and nine (27.3%, mean IOP= 19.3 ± 1.6 mm Hg) had no staining. These staining patterns were labeled as groups 1 - 4 respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the difference between the IOPs in Group 1 - 2 and between Group 2 - 3 was not significant statistically (p=0.682 and 0.665 respectively). However the differences between the IOPs between Groups 1 - 3, 1 - 4, 2 - 4, and 3 - 4 were found to be highly significant statistically (p less than 0.0005).

CONCLUSIONS

Trypan blue dye can be used to test the amount of sub conjunctival filtration in eyes undergoing phacoemulsification cataract surgery.