SLT recommended as first line therapy

Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) offers good long-term reductions in intraocular pressure (IOP), according to the results of a study performed by Rahul Yadav, MD and colleagues of the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK.

A retrospective case study of all patients undergoing SLT as a primary, adjunctive and replacement treatment between 2000 and 2006 was conducted. A total of 474 eyes of 278 patients were included. 195 eyes received SLT as first line treatment and 279 eyes received SLT as either adjunctive or replacement treatment. Baseline IOP prior to SLT was recorded and then measured again at week one, month one, month three, month six and one year postoperatively and annually thereafter. Response to SLT was defined as a 20% drop from baseline levels.

The mean pre-treatment IOP was recorded at 26.6 mmHg. Mean IOP reduction from baseline was 24% at week one, 29% at month six, 28% at one year, 32% at three years and 33.8% at five years. The average life of SLT treatment after the first 180 degree treatment was 31 months.

Yadav and team confirmed that SLT is both an effective and safe procedure and concluded that, in addition to this, a one off procedure results in considerable periods of reduced IOP. They recommend its use as a first line treatment.

Ophthalmology Times Europe reporting from the XXIV Congress of the ESCRS, London, 9-13 September, 2006.