Purpose To characterize the 12-month intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) as sole therapy for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in an Afro-Caribbean population. Design Stepped-wedge trial. Methods Subjects in St. Lucia and Dominica with established POAG were randomized to prompt washout of IOP-lowering medications followed by SLT, 3-month delay followed by washout and SLT, or 6-month delay followed by washout and SLT. Baseline IOP was obtained on two different days after washout. Bilateral 360-degree SLT was performed in one session. Post-treatment assessments took place 1 hour, 1 week, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-SLT. The main outcome measure was SLT success (defined as IOP ≤ target IOP in both eyes) at 12 months. Target IOP was a 20% or greater reduction in IOP from post-washout baseline. Results Overall, 72 underwent SLT treatment. Mean IOP at enrollment was 15.4 ± 3.6 mmHg in right eyes and 15.4 ± 3.6 mmHg in left eyes, which rose to 21.0 ± 3.3 mmHg and 20.9 ± 3.0 mmHg, respectively, after washout. Mean IOP at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months ranged from 12.5 mmHg to 14.5 mmHg (29.7% to 39.5%; p<0.0001 in each eye at each time point). The 12-month success rate was 78%. Transient photophobia and discomfort were common. Conclusions SLT monotherapy safely provides significant IOP reduction in Afro-Caribbean eyes with POAG. This treatment can play a significant role in preventing glaucoma vision loss and blindness in people of African descent living in resource-limited regions.

Purpose: To characterize the prevalence, severity, and duration of anterior chamber inflammation (cells and flare) following selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in Afro-Caribbean eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).Methods: 144 eyes of 72 POAG patients underwent first-time 360-degree SLT treatment following washout of all topical medications in the prospective West Indies Glaucoma Laser Study. No anti-inflammatory therapy was used post-SLT. Anterior chamber cells and flare were characterized pre-SLT after medication washout, and 1 week, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post-SLT using the standardized methodology described by the Society for Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) in which cells and flare are each graded on a scale of 0-4+ using specific slit-lamp settings.Results: Mean cell scores in both right and left eyes rose significantly (p<0.0001) from baseline to Week 1 after SLT before returning to baseline values at all subsequent time points. Mean flare scores in right eyes (p=0.0185) but not left eyes (p=0.1816) rose from baseline to Week 1 after SLT before returning to baseline values at all subsequent time points. Cells appeared in 40.3% of eyes and flare appeared in 9.7% of eyes after SLT. One subject developed bilateral symptomatic anterior iritis one day postoperatively and reported a previously undisclosed history of recurrent iritis; the iritis resolved with topical steroid therapy. Conclusion:SLT in Afro-Caribbean people with POAG is associated with mild, short-lived and self-limited anterior chamber inflammation. Routine anti-inflammatory therapy to suppress posttreatment inflammation after SLT is unnecessary in this population.

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This analysis did not identify any subject-specific factors consistently predictive of therapeutic response to SLT. Of note, no factors predicted a suboptimal response. These findings favorably position SLT for broad application as primary therapy in African-derived people with POAG.

AimTo characterise clinical outcomes following selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in eyes of Afro-Caribbean patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) at high risk for progression.MethodsIn a prospective interventional case series, patients meeting high-risk criteria (advanced disease, unilateral glaucoma blindness, inadequate intraocular pressure (IOP) on >2 medications, recent progression on medications, inability to administer, afford or tolerate medications) underwent bilateral 360° SLT and managed based on their subsequent clinical course. Patient-specific indications for SLT—IOP reduction (IOP group) or reduced reliance on medical therapy (MED group)—were recorded before treatment. IOP and medication use were recorded every 3–4 months through up to 24 months of follow-up. Outcomes were analysed separately in the IOP and MED groups.ResultsAmong 33 right eyes (left eye outcomes were similar) in the IOP group, mean (SD) IOP was significantly reduced from 21.7 (7.5) mm Hg to 16.2–17.1 mm Hg over follow-up (p<0.0177); medication use remained unchanged (p>0.05) at all time points. Among 36 right eyes in the MED group, mean medication use was 1.9 (0.9) at baseline and ranged from 1.2 to 1.4 medications per eye through follow-up (p<0.0033), and mean IOP was significantly reduced at months 1–6 (to 13.1 (2.3) mm Hg, p=0.0013), months 13–18 (to 14.3 (2.8), p=0.0136) and unchanged at other time points. No vision-threatening adverse events occurred.ConclusionsAfro-Caribbean patients with OAG at risk for progression can achieve clinically and statistically significant reductions in IOP or medications through up to 24 months following a single 360° SLT treatment.Trial registration numberNCT02375009.