Abstract
Purpose: :
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the response to laser trabeculoplasty (LTP) in the Latino and Caucasian population. AGIS showed that black race increased the risk of failure of IOP control and VF deterioration after initial trabeculectomy compared with whites after initial LTP. This suggested response to certain glaucoma laser procedures or treatments may vary among ethnicity. With Latinos being the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the US, there has been relatively few studies on ocular disease, much less glaucoma, in this population.
Methods: :
A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who had undergone ALT or SLT at a private community ophthalmology practice with glaucoma specialty in San Antonio, Texas between Jan 2006 and Oct 2010. For each eye of each patient, baseline pre-laser treatment IOP, post-laser treatment IOPs, number of glaucoma medications, and VF mean deviations at various follow-up times were recorded. Patients were eliminated at the time they underwent further laser due to failure or any intraocular surgeries in either eye. Age, gender, diagnosis, CCT, previous intraocular surgeries/laser procedures, past medical history of diabetes, and family history of glaucoma were tabulated for each patient. Data were analyzed using an unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-test with statistical significance at p < 0.05.
Results: :
Of the total 746 charts generated from the database search, the first 42 consecutive charts consisted of 72 eyes, 20 eyes in the Latino group and 52 in the Caucasian group. Mean reduction in IOP was -1.5 ± 4.6, -1.5 ± 3.4, -0.9 ± 3.0, and +0.6 ± 4.1 mmHg at 6 weeks, 12 mos, 19-24 mos, and 31-36 mos, respectively in the Latino group. In the Caucasian group, mean reduction in IOP was -1.9 ± 4.2, -2.3 ± 3.8, -2.6 ± 3.6, and -2.1 ± 3.8 mmHg at the same corresponding duration, respectively. There was no significant difference in mean IOP reduction between the Latino and Caucasian groups (p < 0.005) at all follow-up times. Number of medications and change in VF mean deviation also did not show significant difference between the two groups, (p < 0.05). Age and CCT were similar in both groups (p < 0.05); although in the Latino group, 33.3% had diabetes and 50.0% had family history of glaucoma, whereas 23.3% and 40.0%, respectively, in the Caucasian group.
Conclusions: :
The results of our study support a decrease in mean IOP in both the Latino and Caucasian group after LTP. However, both groups showed comparable outcomes for IOP reduction, number of eye medications, and visual field mean deviation. Overall, the study showed similar responses to LTP between the Latino and Caucasian population.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials • laser • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: outcomes/complications