Association of Deepening of the Upper Eyelid Sulcus with the Incidence of Blepharoptosis after Glaucoma Filtration Surgery

Purpose: To examine the clinical characteristics of patients who developed blepharoptosis after filtering surgery. Study Design: A retrospective, observational study. Methods: 96 eyes in 79 patients who underwent glaucoma filtration surgery were included in this study. These patients were followed up for more than one year after filtration surgery. The clinical characteristics were compared between two groups: a group that developed blepharoptosis during the follow-up, and a group that did not develop blepharoptosis. Results: Of the 96 eyes in 79 patients who underwent filtration surgery, 12 eyes (12.5%) developed blepharoptosis and underwent blepharoptosis surgery. There were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the following: age, sex, presence or absence of simultaneous cataract surgery, differences in surgical procedures (conventional trabeculectomy or trabeculectomy with an Ex-Press mini-glaucoma shunt device), number of needlings after filtration surgery, glaucoma type and number of anti-glaucomatous drugs before filtration surgery. Deepening of the upper eyelid sulcus (DUES) was found in 6 of the 12 eyes (50.0%) of the blepharoptosis group and 9 of the 84 eyes (10.7%) of the non-blepharoptosis group, and a significant difference was observed (p < .01). When blepharoptosis patients without DUES after filtration surgery were used as a reference, there was a significant difference in odds ratios between these patients and blepharoptosis patients with DUES (OR: 8.56; 95% CI: 2.30–32.21; p < .01). Conclusion: The development of blepharoptosis after filtration surgery is an important issue, and the presence of DUES may be a risk factor for postoperative blepharoptosis after glaucoma filtration surgery.