Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul 27;10(15):3307.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10153307.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty in the Treatment of Ocular Hypertension and Open-Angle Glaucoma: Clinical Review

Aleksandra Zgryźniak  1 , Joanna Przeździecka-Dołyk  2   3 , Marek Szaliński  1   3 , Anna Turno-Kręcicka  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty in the Treatment of Ocular Hypertension and Open-Angle Glaucoma: Clinical Review

Aleksandra Zgryźniak et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a glaucoma treatment that reduces intraocular pressure (IOP). Its mechanism is based on the biological effects of the selective application of laser energy to pigmented trabecular meshwork (TM) cells, resulting in increased outflow facility. Herein, we review current publications on SLT and summarize its efficacy and safety for different indications in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) treatment. SLT effectively reduces IOP when used as a primary treatment. In patients whose IOP is medically controlled, SLT helps to reduce medication use, and when maximally tolerated topical therapy is ineffective, SLT facilitates the realization of the target IOP. SLT is a repeatable procedure for which the vast majority of complications are mild and self-limiting. With effective IOP reduction, low complication rates and the potential to repeat the procedure, SLT offers the possibility of delaying the introduction of medical therapy and other more invasive treatment modalities while simultaneously avoiding the accompanying complications. With this knowledge, we suggest that SLT be considered as an essential primary treatment option in OAG and OHT, switching to other treatment modalities only when laser procedures are insufficient for achieving the required target IOP.

Keywords: first-line glaucoma treatment; glaucoma; glaucoma treatment; intraocular pressure; ocular hypertension; open-angle glaucoma; quality of life; selective laser trabeculoplasty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the trabecular meshwork tissue response induced by selective laser trabeculoplasty.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Heijl A. Reduction of Intraocular Pressure and Glaucoma Progression: Results From the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial. Arch. Ophthalmol. 2002;120:1268. doi: 10.1001/archopht.120.10.1268. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Agis Investigators The advanced glaucoma intervention study (AGIS): 7. the relationship between control of intraocular pressure and visual field deterioration. Am. J. Ophthalmol. 2000;130:429–440. doi: 10.1016/S0002-9394(00)00538-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Latina M.A., Park C. Selective targeting of trabecular meshwork cells: In vitro studies of pulsed and CW laser interactions. Exp. Eye Res. 1995;60:359–371. doi: 10.1016/S0014-4835(05)80093-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kramer T.R., Noecker R.J. Comparison of the morphologic changes after selective laser trabeculoplasty and argon laser trabeculoplasty in human eye bank eyes. Ophthalmology. 2001;108:773–779. doi: 10.1016/S0161-6420(00)00660-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Latina M.A., Sibayan S.A., Shin D.H., Noecker R.J., Marcellino G. Q-switched 532-nm Nd:YAG laser trabeculoplasty (selective laser trabeculoplasty): A multicenter, pilot, clinical study11Dr. Mark A. Latina has financial interest in this technology. Ophthalmology. 1998;105:2082–2090. doi: 10.1016/S0161-6420(98)91129-0. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources