Purpose To compare the effectiveness and safety of excimer laser trabeculotomy (ELT) ab interno vs selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) over 24 months of follow-up in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) refractory to medical therapy. Patients and methods This prospective, randomized study included 30 consecutive eyes assigned randomly to either ELT or SLT group. ELT was carried out using a XeCl Excimer Laser with an emission wavelength of 308 nm. Eight spots were equally distributed at a distance of 500 lm from one another over the anterior trabeculum. The SLT patients were treated with a frequencydoubled q-switched neodymium : yytriumaluminum-garnet laser (wavelength 532 nm). Approximately 50 adjacent, but not overlapping, laser spots were distributed over 1801 of the trabecular meshwork, using an energy level ranging from 0.7 to 1.0 mJ per pulse. The main outcome measure was intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering after ELT and SLT. Success was defined as X20% reduction in IOP without further glaucoma intervention. Results At 24 months, complete success rates were 53.3% for the ELT group and 40% for the SLT group (P ¼ 0.35, Fisher's exact test); qualified success rates were 33.3% for the ELT and 26.6% for the SLT group (P ¼ 0.5, Fisher's exact test).Mean IOP decreased from 25.0 ± 1.9 to 17.6 ± 2.2 mmHg (À29.6%; Po0.0001) in the ELT group and from 23.9 ± 0.9 to 19.1 ± 1.8 mmHg (À21%;Po0.0001) in the SLT group.Conclusions Both ELT and SLT proved to be effective techniques in the treatment of POAG refractory to medical therapy.
Sequenced combined treatment with single-session PDT and IVB injections may be useful in treating RAP, reducing or eliminating retinal edema, and improving or stabilizing visual acuity. Further investigations are warranted to outline the appropriate treatment paradigm for combination therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.