Trends in glaucoma surgery in a tertiary hospital in Spain: 2010–2022

Objective This study aims to conduct an analysis glaucoma surgeries performed over a 13-year period at a tertiary hospital affiliated with the Spanish National Health System, with the goal of assessing temporal trends. Methods This retrospective observational study scrutinized surgeries undertaken in the glaucoma unit of a tertiary center in Spain between 2010 and 2022. Data collected included surgical dates, procedure performed, whether it was standalone or combined, as well as patient demographics including age, sex, and type of underlying glaucoma. Surgeries on individuals under 18 years of age were excluded. An annual comparative analysis was performed to ascertain the evolving trends in glaucoma surgical interventions. Results A total of 12,944 surgeries were included in the analysis, comprising 9428 isolated cataract surgeries and 2975 glaucoma procedures. Trabeculectomy, glaucoma drainage devices (GDD), and cyclodestruction, collectively referred to as traditional surgery, demonstrated a decline from 93.2% to 23.6% over the study duration. Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and minimally invasive bleb surgery (MIBS) demonstrated a significant increase from 3.8% in 2010 to 74.7% in 2022, relative to the total glaucoma surgeries. Furthermore, combined surgeries manifested a noteworthy increase from 39.0% in 2010 to 44.2% in 2022, with 86.4% of combined procedures in 2022 being MIGS or MIBS. Conclusion In recent years, there has been a noticeable change in the trend of glaucoma surgeries, with MIGS and MIBS procedures experiencing a significant increase and becoming the most commonly performed glaucoma procedures. Consequently, traditional glaucoma surgeries have decreased in frequency.