The efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty versus argon laser trabeculoplasty in pseudophakic glaucoma patients

Eldar Rosenfeld, Gabi Shemesh, Shimon Kurtz

Department of Ophthalmology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Introduction: This study evaluated and compared the efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) in terms of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effects in pseudophakic patients at various time points after treatment. The primary aim was to compare the efficacy of SLT and ALT in reducing the IOP of pseudophakic glaucoma patients who recently underwent successful cataract extraction surgery. The secondary endpoint was to determine the percentage of SLT and ALT patients whose IOP was successfully reduced by at least 15% from baseline.
Patients and methods: This study was a follow-up of a prospective randomized clinical trial. Fifty-two eyes from 52 glaucoma patients with uncontrolled IOP who had previously undergone successful phacoemulsification-assisted cataract excision surgery with intracapsular lens implantation were randomly assigned to treatment with either ALT (n = 30) or SLT (n = 22). Fifteen patients were excluded due to adverse events encountered during the study, leaving a total of 18 and 19 patients in the ALT and SLT groups, respectively. IOP measurements were carried out at scheduled intervals until 12 months post-laser treatment.
Results: There were no significant differences in the IOP-lowering effects between the two methods at any time point during the follow-up period. The greatest differences between the two groups were observed at 1 week posttreatment and at the 3-month time point, but neither reached a level of significance. At the final checkup, the mean IOP reduction from baseline was 3.23 mmHg in the ALT group and 4.30 mmHg in the SLT group (P = 0.269). At that visit, six (35.3%) patients in the ALT group and 15 (75%) patients in the SLT group had a reduction of ≥15% from their baseline IOP.
Conclusion: SLT and ALT are equally effective in their IOP-lowering capabilities in new pseudophakic glaucoma patients during the first 12 months after treatment.

Keywords: selective laser trabeculoplasty, argon laser trabeculoplasty, intraocular pressure, cataract extraction, pseudophakic glaucoma patients