The safety and efficacy of combined trabeculectomy, extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), and posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL) implantation were evaluated by retrospectively analyzing 108 consecutive operations. Postoperatively, 89% of eyes achieved 20/40 or better visual acuity when preoperative macular and optic nerve diseases were excluded. Mean follow-up was 16.8 months. Intraocular pressure (IOP) control (less than or equal to 21 mmHg) was achieved in 92% of eyes; 57% required no medications. Capsulotomy (20%) and transient hyphema (15%) occurred significantly more often (P less than 0.001) than in a comparison group. These results suggest that the combined procedure gives excellent visual rehabilitation and IOP control in the majority of patients included in this analysis.