Purpose To report the trends in operating room-based glaucoma procedures from 2005 to 2014 in France.

Methods We identified operating room-based glaucoma procedures (trabeculectomies, deep sclerectomies, aqueous shunts and ciliary body destructions) performed in France from 2005 to 2014 by means of billing codes from a national database. The annual rates and incidence of these procedures per 100 000 inhabitants were analysed globally and in three age groups: 0–14 years, 15–59 years and over 60 years.

Results The annual rate of trabeculectomies decreased slightly during the study period, while the rate for other surgical techniques (deep sclerectomies, aqueous drainage procedures and ciliary body destructions) increased. The overall rate of glaucoma surgeries was higher in areas with populations of African descent than in areas predominantly composed of Caucasian populations: 1.60 (95% CI 1.51 to 1.70, p<0.0001).

Conclusions Trabeculectomy was the most commonly performed operating room-based glaucoma procedure in France from 2005 to 2014. Other modalities such as deep sclerectomies, aqueous drainage procedures and ciliary body destruction gained greater acceptance among French ophthalmologists during this 10-year period.