ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of phacoemulsification combined with trabeculectomy versus simple phacoemulsification for primary angle closure glaucoma with cataract.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about phacoemulsification combined with trabeculectomy vs. simple phacoemulsification for primary angle closure glaucoma with cataract from inception to May 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of eight studies involving 679 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: there were no significant differences between two groups in postoperative visual acuity (MD=0.00, 95%CI –0.10 to 0.09, P=0.98), postoperative anterior chamber depth (MD=0.14, 95%CI –0.17 to 0.45, P=0.37) and adverse reactions rates (optic nerve injury: RR=1.56, 95%CI 0.70 to 3.47, P=0.28; visual field defect: RR=1.43, 95%CI 0.70 to 2.92, P=0.33; corneal edema: RR=0.57, 95%CI 0.25 to 1.32, P=0.19).ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that phacoemulsification combined with trabeculectomy and simple phacoemulsification has the similar efficacy and safety for primary angle closure glaucoma with cataract. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusions still need to be verified by more high quality studies.