Scleritis following glaucoma drainage device implantation

1. Chui Yin Chua¹
2. Wan Hazabbah Wan Hitam¹
3. Tara Mary George²
4. Poh Yan Ong²

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia

²Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Selayang, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia
Purpose: To present two rare cases of scleritis that occurred after implantation of Baerveldt (Advanced Medical Optics, Irvine, CA) drainage device.

Methods: Case reports

Results: Two Chinese men with bilateral primary open angle glaucoma had Baerveldt drainage device implantation which was performed by the same surgeon using similar technique. Both patients presented with eye redness, discomfort and reduced vision of the operated eye between five months to one year post surgery. Ocular examinations showed evidences of scleritis with no scleral necrosis and a positive T-sign on ultrasonography. One patient has stable schizophrenia. Immunological screening and blood tests were unremarkable. Both patients responded to a course of topical steroid and oral prednisolone treatment. However, the patient that had multiple previous surgeries, later onset and a delay in diagnosis of scleritis has a less satisfactory visual outcome. Intraocular pressure for both patients remains adequately controlled.

Conclusion: Scleritis following glaucoma drainage device (GDD) implantation is rare which could easily be missed especially if not carefully examined and investigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on scleritis following GDD implantation described in the literature.