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for Quality Eye Care without any external financial support. Authors and reviewers of the guidelines are volunteers and do not receive any financial compensation for their contributions to the documents. The guidelines are externally reviewed by experts and stakeholders before publication.

Purpose To assess surgical practice patterns among the American Glaucoma Society (AGS) membership. Methods An anonymous online survey evaluating the use of glaucoma surgeries in various clinical settings was redistributed to AGS members. Survey responses were compared with prior results from 1996, 2002, and 2008 to determine shifts in surgical practice patterns. Questions were added to assess the preferred approach to primary incisional glaucoma surgery and phacoemulsification combined with glaucoma surgery. Results A total of 252 of 1,091 (23%) subscribers to the AGS-net participated in the survey. Percentage use (mean ± SD) of trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC), glaucoma drainage device (GDD), and minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) as an initial surgery in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) was 59% ± 30%, 23% ± 23%, and 14% ± 20%, respectively. Phacoemulsification cataract extraction alone was the preferred surgical approach in 44% ± 32% of patients with POAG and visually significant cataract, and phacoemulsification cataract extraction was combined with trabeculectomy with MMC in 24% ± 23%, with MIGS in 22% ± 27%, and with GDD in 9% ± 14%. While trabeculectomy was selected most frequently to surgically manage glaucoma in 8 of 8 clinical settings in 1996, GDD was preferred in 7 of 8 clinical settings in 2016. Conclusions The use of GDD has increased and that of trabeculectomy has concurrently decreased over the past 2 decades. Trabeculectomy with MMC is the most popular primary incisional surgery when performed alone or in combination with phacoemulsification cataract extraction. Surgeons frequently manage coexistent cataract and glaucoma with cataract extraction alone, rather than as a combined cataract and glaucoma procedure.

Human amniotic fl uid-derived stem (AFS) cells possess several advantages over embryonic and adult stem cells, as evidenced by expression of both types of stem cell markers and ability to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers. Herein, we examine endothelial differentiation of AFS cells in response to growth factors, shear force, and hypoxia. We isolated human AFS cells from amniotic fl uid samples (1-4 cc/specimen) obtained from patients undergoing amniocentesis at 15-18 weeks of gestation (n = 10). Isolates maintained in nondifferentiating medium expressed the stem cell markers CD13, CD29, CD44, CD90, CD105, OCT-4, and SSEA-4 through passage 8. After 3 weeks of culture in endothelial growth media-2 (EGM-2), the stem cells exhibited an endothelial-like morphology, formed cord-like structures when plated on Matrigel, and uptook acetylated LDL/ lectin. Additionally, mRNA and protein levels of CD31 and von Willebrand factor (vWF) signifi cantly increased in response to culture in EGM-2, with further up-regulation when stimulated by physiological levels (12 dyne/ cm 2 ) of shear force. Culture in hypoxic conditions (5% O 2 ) resulted in signifi cant expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PGF) mRNA. This study suggests that AFS cells, isolated from minute amounts of amniotic fl uid, acquire endothelial cell characteristics when stimulated by growth factors and shear force, and produce angiogenic factors (VEGF, PGF, and hepatocyte growth factor [HGF]) in response to hypoxia. Thus, amniotic fl uid represents a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells potentially suitable for use in cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

Interest in MIGS continues to grow as these procedures allow surgeons to intervene earlier in the disease course for patients with milder stages of glaucoma. Complications associated with MIGS, albeit infrequent and mostly transient, do occur despite a less invasive approach than trabeculectomy and tube shunt surgery.

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Literature from the review period has further defined the unique clinical characteristics of pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma. Laser surgery has a limited role in the management of these entities, whereas trabeculectomy remains an acceptable first-line surgical treatment. Further studies are needed to define the potential application of the newer micro-invasive glaucoma procedures in pigmentary glaucoma.