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Micropulse laser trabeculoplasty yields 75% success rate in glaucoma patients
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BARCELONA — Micropulse laser trabeculoplasty yielded a success rate of 75% after treatment in patients with primary open angle glaucoma, according to a speaker.
“The benefits of MLT [micropulse laser trabeculoplasty] are that [there are] no steroids, there is no scarring, there is no risk of infection, it is repeatable, it is a well-tolerated office procedure that can be performed under topical anesthesia, it has zero downtime, and it does not affect the success rates of future glaucoma surgeries,” Jacky W. Y. Lee, MBBS, MRCSEd, FRSCEd, FCOphthHK, FHKAM, said at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.
Jacky W. Y. Lee
The MLT technology applies a 577 nm diode laser to 360° of the trabecular meshwork unilaterally. MLT is at work 15% of the time while the laser is at rest 85% of the time, allowing the collateral tissues to cool down and preventing collateral damage, Lee said.
Lee and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study on 40 eyes with open angle glaucoma with follow-up at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months.
“For safety reasons, we changed medications [to achieve] a 25% reduction [in IOP] from baseline or ... IOP less than 18 mm Hg,” he said.
At 1 month, there was a mean IOP reduction of 24%. At 6 months, there was a mean IOP reduction of 20% and a mean medication reduction of 21%.
“The study is still ongoing and hopefully with more long-term data, we can evaluate whether laser trabeculoplasty can be an alternative treatment,” Lee said. — by Nhu Te
Disclosure: Lee reports no relevant financial interests.