The efficiency of micropulse laser trabeculoplasty for open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension patients

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficiency and safety of micropulse laser trabeculoplasty (MLT) for open angle glaucoma (OAG) patients and ocular hypertension (OHT) patients. Methods A prospective self-controlled study was designed.Fifty-six eyes of 56 OAG and OHT patients in Peking University Third Hospital were recruited from June 2016 to June 2017, including 32 males and 24 females with the age of (50.4±19.0) years old.The diagnosis included 48 eyes of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), 3 eyes of normal tension glaucoma and 5 eyes of OHT.The best corrected vision acuity (BCVA) was 0.7±0.3 before treatment.The intraocular pressure (IOP) before MLT was (20.4±5.8) mmHg, the average types of antiglaucoma medications was 1.7, including systemic medication and local drug use.The general information, BCVA, IOP and antiglaucoma medication were recorded.Only one eye of each patient was treated by MLT.The IOP at different follow-up time points (2 hours, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months post-treatment) and the number of antiglaucoma medication before and after treatment were compared.This study protocol was approved by Ethic Committee of Peking University Third Hospital (No.2014166). Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to any medical examination. Results The IOP after MLT was (20.2±6.7), (17.6±4.4), (18.1±4.5), (17.4±3.4) and (17.0±2.1)mmHg at 2 hours, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months, respectively, with significant difference among the different time points (F=7.320, P<0.001). Compared with the IOP before treatment, the IOP at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after treatment were significantly decerased, with significant differences between them (all at P<0.05). Three months after treatment, the average number of glaucoma medications used was 1.5, and only local administration was used.Infection, hyphema, cornea injury, burns and other complications were not seen in all the patients. Conclusions MLT is effective and safety for OAG and OHT patients, and reduce the use of glaucoma drugs. Key words: Micropulse laser trabeculoplasty; Intraocular pressure; Open angle glaucoma; Ocular hypertension