TJ-CEO
2011 , Vol 6 , Num 1
Laser Applications Aimed at the Angle
Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Göz Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Manisa, Prof. Dr.
Laser trabeculoplasty (LTP) is a treatment method aimed to decrease intraocular pressure (IOP), primarily or in addition to existing medical therapy in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension patients at high risk of developing glaucoma. Modern LTP applications has started about 30 years ago with argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT), and the method has been accepted as an efficient and safe treatment option for long years. In ALT, photocoagulation of the trabecular meshwork results in dissipation of heat from pigmented trabecular cells to surrounding tissues in the vicinity of radiation. Structural changes in the trabecular tissue caused by scar and trabecular fusion after ALT restrict its repeatability. A more current method, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) aims at selective targeting of pigmented trabecular meshwork cells without collateral thermal injury in neighbouring non-pigmented cells and structures. Efficiency of ALT and SLT are similar at short and long term, with decreasing efficiency by time in both methods. SLT is expected to be more repeatable compared to ALT, as it seems to be harmless to the trabecular meshwork. While SLT is currently accepted as the golden standard LTP method, research on new treatment modalities expected to show the same effect by using less energy than SLT are still continuing..
Keywords :
Glaucoma, argon laser trabeculoplasty, selective laser trabeculoplasty, laser trabeculoplasty