Abstract
Purpose: :
Compare intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction and clinical effect following trabeculoplasty with either argon (514nm) or Titanium:Sapphire laser in patients with primary open angle glaucoma.
Methods: :
70 patients with primary open angle glaucoma were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, IRB approved, multi–center clinical trial. Inclusion criteria specified patients had poorly controlled IOP on maximally tolerated medications and/or prior failed glaucoma surgery. All patients received 50 laser exposure spots over 180 degrees of trabecular meshwork in one eye, and were followed at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after treatment.
Results: :
The clinical effect of TST showed dispersion of pigment from the meshwork, leaving the trabecular architecture intact. ALT treatments exhibited clinically the typical blanching of the meshwork and tissue coagulation. Patients receiving TST (n=36) had an average pre–operative IOP of 26.7 + 4.1 mmHg with an average IOP reduction of 6.8 mmHg at 6 months. ALT patients (n=34) had pre–operative IOP 24.9 + 2.8, with average reduction of 6.6 mmHg at six months.
Conclusions: :
TST appeared to create less damage to trabecular meshwork than ALT. IOP reduction at six month follow–up was equivalent between the two lasers.
Keywords: laser • trabecular meshwork • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials