Abstract
Purpose :
Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a commonly used primary or adjunctive therapy in glaucoma to lower intraocular pressure (IOP). Currently, there is no consensus on whether SLT is safe and effective in decreasing IOP in eyes with ARG. Our study investigates the pre- vs post-operative change in IOP in a patient’s treated and untreated eye within 12 months after receiving SLT.
Methods :
Patients receiving SLT at the George Washington University Hospital between January 1st, 2008, to January 1st, 2022 were retrospectively queried. Pre- vs post-SLT IOP and the number of medications in each eye were analyzed using a paired samples t-test. Patients were excluded if they did not have SLT done on the eye with ARG, did not have an ARG diagnosis, or received surgery during the 12-month follow-up period. Treatment success was defined as an IOP reduction greater than or equal to 20% of the baseline IOP level after SLT and was calculated at each time point for the untreated eye.
Results :
A total of 9 cases were included in this study. Case 5 and 9 were excluded from the t-test at months 6 and 12 (surgical intervention) and month 12 (lost to follow-up), respectively. Mean IOPs for the SLT treated eyes at baseline, 6-week, 6-month, and 12-month visits were 20 ± 6.22 mmHg, 17.39 ± 5.11 mmHg (P > 0.05), 17.88 ± 5.93 mmHg (P > 0.05), and 17.29 ± 6.62 mmHg (P > 0.05), respectively. For the same time points, the mean IOP for the untreated eyes were 15 ± 3.28 mmHg (P > 0.05), 16 ± 5.66 mmHg (P > 0.05), 13.81 ± 4.29 mmHg (P > 0.05), and 14.29 ± 3.77 mmHg (P > 0.05), respectively. The number of medications did not change.
Conclusions :
SLT can produce a greater than 20% decrease in IOP in both the treated eye with ARG and untreated eye without ARG for up to 1 year after treatment. While the average IOP decreased during the 6 week, 6 month, and 12-month follow-up visits post-SLT, this reduction was not statistically significant as a cohort. This report differs from previous research in showing safety and efficacy in decreasing IOP in not only the ipsilateral eye but also the contralateral eye after SLT. This study’s population also improves on the previous study’s external validity. There were 9 patients (previously 41) who had diverse backgrounds (African American (66.7%), Caucasian (22.2%), Hispanic/Latino (11.1%) – previously unreported1).
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.