A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE REDUCTION AFTER REPEATED VERSUS INITIAL SELECTIVE LASER TRABECULOPLASTY TREATMENT

Open-angle glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness

worldwide. Although various treatments are available to control this condition, they often come with significant side effects and can adversely impact the quality of life of patients. Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has emerged as a promising treatment modality for open-angle glaucoma, with encouraging results from multiple studies. However, there is a need to verify the safety and efficacy of repeated SLT treatments over an extended period to ensure its long-term viability.

This dissertation presents a retrospective analysis comparing the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effects of repeated SLT treatments to those of the initial SLT treatment. The study aims to evaluate whether repeated SLT can consistently provide significant IOP reductions and maintain its safety profile when administered multiple times.

Methods

Clinical data from patients who underwent initial and subsequent SLT

treatments were analysed to quantify the IOP reductions achieved and to

determine the proportion of eyes that responded to repeated treatments after an initial non-response.

Results

The results indicate that SLT is effective in lowering IOP, with the initial

treatment resulting in a mean IOP reduction of -3.77 mmHg across all treated eyes. Among the eyes that responded to the initial treatment, the mean reduction was -4.88 mmHg. Of the 15 eyes that showed no IOP reduction after the first treatment, 13 (86.67%) experienced significant IOP reduction upon repeated SLT, with a mean reduction of -4.62 mmHg. The second SLT treatment demonstrated an IOP reduction in 87.91% of eyes, with a mean reduction of -4.12 mmHg. Furthermore, 7.95% of eyes showed no IOP reduction after the second treatment, indicating a minimal non-response rate. Notably, out of the eyes that did not respond to the second treatment, 3 underwent a third SLT treatment. All of these eyes experienced IOP reduction, with a mean reduction of -4.33 mmHg.

Conclusion

This study concludes that SLT is safe and potentially equally effective when

repeated at least three times in the majority of patients. These findings support the use of repeated SLT as a viable long-term management strategy for controlling IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma.