Patients assigned to the phaco-trabeculectomy group experienced a 1.7 mmHg [ 95 % CI : -3.1 to -0.23 ] reduction in IOP , a 1.4 dB [ 95 % CI : -0.17 to 2.96 ] improvement in visual fields MD , a 0.6 [ 95 % CI : -1.2 to -0.05 ] reduction in the number of glaucoma medications needed postoperatively , while the visual acuity improvement was similar between the two groups .