Patients with highest IOP benefit most from laser therapy in glaucoma: Study

An's research team reviewed 252 SLT procedures on 198 adult patients with open-angle glaucoma to determine what percentage of these surgeries achieved a 20% or greater reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP). Two months after surgery, 33.6% of patients met success criteria. At the six-month mark, 38.5% achieved the threshold. The researchers discovered patients with a higher baseline IOP had larger reductions in pressure.

"We discovered significant improvement in patients with more severe cases, which convinced me that patients with the highest pressure will benefit the most from this laser therapy," An said.

Age, type and severity of glaucoma did not significantly predict a successful outcome. In addition, less than 5% of patients studied experienced the most common adverse event of an IOP spike after the procedure.

"This study really increased my comfort level to offer SLT as a primary therapy," An said. "Prior to this research, I would prescribe these patients multiple medications, creating the possibility of side effects and poor adherence, which could lead to disease progression. Now I offer this laser first if they are a good candidate because of its safety profile. If it doesn't work, we can always move forward with other options."

In addition to An, the study's lead author was MU School of Medicine ophthalmology resident Matthew Hirabayashi, MD. Vikram Ponnusamy, MD, a recent graduate of MU School of Medicine, also contributed to the findings.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66473-0