Glaucoma Fellows-in-Training Recent Surgery Trends

Purpose: The volume of microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) has increased dramatically in recent years, from 31 059 in 2013 to 69 420 in 2018. We investigated the impact of this trend on trainees by determining the proportion of glaucoma surgeries performed by fellows-in-training comprised by MIGS, trabeculectomies, and aqueous shunts.Design: Retrospective analysis.Participants: Fellows-in-training at Glaucoma Fellowship Programs certified by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO-FCC) Methods: We analyzed aggregate summaries of surgeries performed by fellows as reported to the AUPO-FCC from the academic years (AYs) beginning in 2014 through AY 2020. Each report lists the average number of procedures performed per surgery type per fellow. We combined these averages to create a sum average number surgeries performed across glaucoma surgeries and computed the proportion that each surgery type (MIGS, tra-beculectomies, and aqueous shunts) represented within the total average number of surgeries performed per year. Main Outcome Measures: Average number of procedures performed for each surgery type as well as the proportion that each surgery type (MIGS, trabeculectomies, and aqueous shunts) represented within the total average number of procedures performed per year.Results: Average number of MIGS performed is significantly greater in later years compared with earlier years (P < 0.001). The average number of trabeculectomies performed between AYs 2014 and AY 2020 ranged from 21.8 to 31.9 and decreased, on average, by -0.80 year-to-year. The average number of aqueous shunts performed between AY 2014 and AY 2020 ranged from 44.7 to 49.5, with an average increase of + 0.8 year-to-year. The total average number of procedures performed (across all 3 surgical subtypes) increased on average by + 4.8 procedures each year.Conclusions: Since 2014, fellows are performing increasing numbers of MIGS procedures, whereas the total number of trabeculectomies and aqueous shunt surgeries performed each year remain similar, resulting in a net increase in total number of procedures performed per fellow each year. This suggests the increase in MIGS is not associated with a substantial decline in trabeculectomies or aqueous shunts performed by glaucoma fellows.

Automated summary

The number of microinvasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) has increased significantly in recent years, with no substantial decline in trabeculectomies or aqueous shunt surgeries. This has resulted in an increase in the total number of procedures performed per fellow each year.