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Molteno et al. (567) describe the cytology and immunohistochemistry of the capsules over the reservoirs of Molteno glaucoma implants from non-inflammed eyes with good pressure control obtained two months to 17 years after implantation. All bleb capsules had a thin, cellular external layer with numerous small vessels coursing through regularly arranged collagen fibers, and a thicker, deeper layer that was relatively acellular and had fragmented collagen fibers, and showed signs of both metabolic activation and of cell death, a dynamic process.
The authors suggest that the bleb over a Molteno glaucoma implant undergoes a constant renewal at the surface, where the oxygen tension and interstitial protein levels are higher, and internal degeneration deeper in where aqueous oxygen and protein levels are present.