Sclerectomy—a non-penetrating surgical procedure for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)—is effective in lowering mean intraocular pressure (IOP), according to a new report in the Journal of Glaucoma. The study confirmed the procedure’s efficacy in all body positions and with postural IOP fluctuations.

 The French researchers evaluated 25 eyes of 25 glaucoma patients who had undergone the procedure and measured their IOPs in the sitting, supine, dependent lateral decubitus position (DLDP) and nondependent lateral decubitus positions (NDLDP) both before and after the surgery.

At one and three months after, they found mean IOP decreased significantly in each position. Also, mean IOP was higher in all lying positions than in the sitting position and higher in the DLDP than in the supine and NDLDP positions. Specifically, posture-induced IOP changes between the sitting and supine position, DLDP and NDLDP were significantly reduced by 77%, 60% and 82%, respectively, after one month and by 79%, 70% and 79% after three. The IOP fluctuation reduction was significantly inferior in the sitting and DLDP positions than in other postural changes, according to the report with the results showing a 14.61% rise from the sitting position to the supine position; 23.97% from the sitting position to the DLDP; and 18.14% from the sitting position to the NDLDP.