Abstract
The first 150 consecutive phakic eyes from 113 patients aged 40 years or more treated with laser trabeculoplasty were evaluated. Twenty-four patients (37 eyes) have died, two eyes developed spontaneous rubeosis, and one patient (one eye) was not available, leaving 110 eyes with a 6 to 10 years follow-up. Of the 37 eyes of dead patients (average age 80 years), only one eye had filtering surgery, and 33 of the other 36 eyes had a last recorded intraocular pressure of <21 mm Hg. Of the 110 eyes of living patients followed for 6 years, 33 had filtering surgery and 62 eyes (56 per cent) had an intraocular pressure of <21 mm Hg. Of 10 eyes followed for 10 years, eight had intraocular pressures <23 mm Hg, seven had pressures <21 mm Hg, and two had had filtering surgery. Eyes with advanced disc damage at the time of trabeculoplasty had a 51 per cent rate of later glaucoma surgery, while eyes with a cup/disc ratio <0.9 at trabeculoplasty had a glaucoma surgery rate of 16 per cent. Eyes of non-white patients did as well as eyes of white patients. Computer analysis of over 1,700 eyes with two-year follow-up indicated better long-term control when 100 or more laser burns were used for trabeculoplasty. Laser trabeculoplasty can defer surgery for the remaining lifespan in elderly patients, and has controlled primary open-angle glaucoma for over 10 years, but later glaucoma surgery is often required in eyes with far advanced glaucoma damage.
Article PDF
References
Wise JB, Witter SL : Argon laser therapy for open-angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol 1979, 97: 319–22.
Wise JB : Long-term control of adult open-angle glaucoma by argon laser treatment. Ophthalmology 1981, 88: 197–202.
Schwartz AL, Kopelman J : Four-year experience with argon laser trabecular surgery in uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma. Ophthalmology 1983, 90: 771–80.
Schwartz AL, Love DC, Schwartz MA : Long-term follow-up of argon laser trabeculoplasty for uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol 1985, 103: 1482–4.
Fink AI, Jordan AJ, Lao PN : The therapeutic limitations of argon laser trabeculoplasty. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 1985, 83: 236–49.
Watson PG, Grierson I : The place of trabeculectomy in the treatment of glaucoma. Ophthalmology 1981, 88: 175–96.
Gilbert CM, Brown RH, Lynch MG : The effect of argon laser trabeculoplasty on the rate of filtering surgery. Ophthalmology 1986, 93: 362–5.
Wise JB : Errors in laser spot size in laser trabeculoplasty. Ophthalmology 1984, 91: 186–90.
Grant WM, Burke JF : Why do some people go blind from glaucoma? Ophthalmology 1982, 89: 991–8.
Abedin S, Simmons RJ, Grant WM : Progressive low-tension glaucoma. Treatment to stop glaucomatous cupping and field loss when these progress despite normal intraocular pressure. Ophthalmology 1982, 89: 1–6.
Wilensky JT, Weinreb RN : Low-dose trabeculoplasty. Am J Ophthalmol 1983, 94: 423–6.
Alvarado J, Murphy C, Juster R : Trabecular meshwork cellularity in primary open-angle glaucoma and in non-glaucomatous normals. Ophthalmology 1984, 91: 564–79.
Watson PG, Allen ED, Graham CM, Porter GP, Pickering MS : Argon laser trabeculoplasty or trabeculectomy. A prospective randomised block study. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK 1984, 104: 55–61.
Honrubia FM, Grijalbo P, Gomez L, Tamargo D : A long-term study of trabeculectomy. Glaucoma 1983, 5: 284–8.
Lamping KA, Bellows AR, Hutchinson BT, Afran SI : Long-term evaluation of initial filtration surgery. Ophthalmology 1986, 93: 91–101.
D'Ermo F, Bonomi L, Doro D : A critical analysis of the long-term results of trabeculectomy. Am J Ophthalmol 1979, 88: 829–35.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wise, J. Ten year results of laser trabeculoplasty: Does the laser avoid glaucoma surgery or merely defer it?. Eye 1, 45–50 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1987.7
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1987.7
This article is cited by
-
Efficacy of argon laser trabeculoplasty in primary open-angle and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma: Long-term follow-up
Annals of Ophthalmology (2001)
-
Efficacy and safety of Indomethacin 0.1% versus Flurbiprofen 0.03% eyedrops in inflammation after argon laser trabeculoplasty
Documenta Ophthalmologica (1994)
-
Rational choice of therapy in primary open angle glaucoma
Eye (1992)
-
Morphological effects of argon laser trabeculoplasty upon the glaucomatous human meshwork
Eye (1989)
-
The effect of argon laser trabeculoplasty upon the normal human trabecular meshwork
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (1989)