What is laser trabeculoplasty?

Laser trabeculoplasty is a treatment for glaucoma. It uses laser light to create small burns in the trabecular meshwork. This is an area made up of tiny canals where fluid drains from the eye. The burns allow fluid to drain from the front part of the eye. This lowers pressure in the eye.

There are two types: argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) and selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). SLT uses a lower-power laser than ALT does.

Laser trabeculoplasty may be used to treat glaucoma that gets worse even with medicine treatment. It may also help treat older adults who have glaucoma and can't use medicines to treat it.

This treatment can be done at a clinic or a hospital.

The doctor puts drops in your eye to numb it. A special microscope (slit lamp) is used along with a lens (goniolens) that is placed on the eye. They guide the laser beam to the trabecular meshwork. The meshwork is in the eye where your iris meets the cornea. The doctor uses the laser to make small burns in the meshwork.

At the end of the surgery, the doctor puts drops in your eye to help control the eye pressure.

Argon laser trabeculoplasty lowers the pressure in the eye about 75% of the time in people who haven't had surgery on that eye before. Research comparing ALT and SLT has shown that SLT lowers pressure in the eye about the same as ALT. People usually need to continue taking medicine after laser surgery to keep down the pressure in their eyes.

Control over the pressure inside the eye may decrease as time passes. Argon laser trabeculoplasty is often not effective when repeated. But experts believe that SLT may be repeated because it uses a lower level of laser and causes less scarring than ALT. SLT may be used if ALT fails to lower eye pressure. The results of repeated laser surgeries are less predictable than the results of the first surgery.