Trabeculectomy vs. Tube shunt surgery for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma: current understanding and evolving use of procedures

Introduction This review summarizes the evolving use, indications, success rate, and post-operative complications of trabeculectomy versus tube shunt surgery for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Trabeculectomy leads to significantly sustained reductions in IOP and therefore remains the gold standard of care for advanced POAG. While tube shunt surgeries have been historically reserved as second-line procedures for glaucoma, they have been used with increasing frequency in recent years as effective alternatives to trabeculectomy.