THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EARLY CLEAR LENS EXTRACTION WITH INTRAOCULAR LENS IMPLANTATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF PRIMARY ANGLE CLOSURE GLAUCOMA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (EAGLE)

Effectiveness of Lens Extraction with Intraocular Lens Implantation for the treatment of Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma

The purpose of this study is to test which treatment is best for people with an eye condition called primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). PACG is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. In PACG the eye's ability to drain is damaged leading to an elevation of the pressure within the eye. High pressure leads to visual loss and, if untreated, blindness. The risk of blindness is greatly reduced by lowering this pressure. Current treatment is to use a laser to open the drainage pathways, eye drops to reduce the eye pressure and, if these fail, drainage surgery within the eye. It is thought that PACG might be more successfully treated by removing the lens of the eye and replacing it with a plastic lens (commonly known as cataract surgery). Early lens extraction, potentially, could reduce the number of eye drops required and overall improve vision compared with current treatments. As there is no high quality research assessing whether removing the lens at an early stage, i.e. when there is no cataract, is better than standard treatment, this international study will randomly allocate participants to either treatment and assess the quality of life, vision and associated costs three years later.