Surgery plus eye drops versus surgery plus a new glaucoma procedure for patients with two eye conditions

Plain-English translation of NCT07700498 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated July 2026 · Translation generated July 2026 · How we translate trials

This study doesn't follow the usual testing phases — it may be an observational study or a different type of research.

What is this trial?

This trial is testing whether combining cataract surgery with a minimally invasive glaucoma procedure called gonioscopy-assisted trabeculotomy works better than combining cataract surgery with traditional eye drop medications. Both approaches remove the clouded lens and aim to lower the pressure in your eye to protect your vision, but they do it in different ways. The study will follow you for 2 years to see which approach works best.

Many people with glaucoma use eye drops for years to control eye pressure, but drops can be inconvenient, expensive, and sometimes irritate the eye surface. This trial is testing whether doing a minimally invasive glaucoma procedure during cataract surgery—when you're already having surgery—might be a better first-line option that reduces your need for daily medications.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you are between 40 and 85 years old
you have been newly diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma and a visually significant cataract, and have never taken glaucoma medications or had glaucoma surgery before
your vision can be corrected to at least 0.1 (20/200) or better with glasses or contacts
you are able and willing to attend follow-up visits at 9 different time points over 2 years
you can complete reliable eye tests, including visual field and retinal imaging

You likely don't qualify if…

you have a type of glaucoma other than primary open-angle glaucoma (such as angle-closure, uveitic, or secondary glaucoma)
you have very advanced glaucoma vision loss or extremely thin nerve fiber layers in your eye
you have serious other eye diseases, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or other major health conditions that could affect your eye or study participation
you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study
you have an unusually long eyeball (axial length greater than 26 mm) or vision loss mainly due to causes other than glaucoma or cataracts

What participation looks like

You will undergo cataract surgery, and you will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will have a minimally invasive glaucoma procedure performed during the same surgery; the other group will receive eye drop medications after surgery. You'll have follow-up visits at 9 scheduled times over 2 years (at day 1, day 7, and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months) where your eye pressure, vision, and eye health will be checked. The visits involve standard eye exams and imaging tests to monitor how well the treatment is working.

Surgery plus eye drops versus surgery plus a new glaucoma procedure for patients with two eye conditions

What is this trial?

Do you qualify?

What participation looks like

Trial locations(5 sites)