Purpose: Secondary glaucoma and vitreous opacity with amyloid fibrils are the 2 major ocular complications of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). We investigated the feasibility of 25-gauge vitrectomy in excising the opaque vitreous into eyes that had already undergone trabeculectomy.
Methods: For the purpose of vision recovery, 25-gauge vitrectomy was performed in 2 eyes with vitreous amyloidosis. Both eyes had undergone trabeculectomy to treat glaucoma secondary to FAP. The survival of the filtration bleb after 25-gauge vitrectomy was also evaluated.
Results: Vision improved dramatically on the next day after the 25-gauge vitrectomy that causes minimal damage to the eye. No apparent complications including failure of the filtration bleb have been observed throughout the follow-up period of 6 months.
Conclusions: 25-gauge vitrectomy has a potential to become a therapy of choice to excise opaque vitreous with amyloid fibrils in FAP, especially in the glaucomatous eyes that have already undergone trabeculectomy.