Laser Trabeculoplasty for Glaucoma

There are two types of Laser Trabeculoplasty offered in our Fort Lauderdale office:

• Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT)
• Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT)

Argon & Selective Laser treatments are clinically proven methods to treat glaucoma by safely and effectively reducing intraocular pressure, often in a single office procedure. They use a focused beam of light to treat the drainage angle of the eye. This surgery makes it easier for fluid to flow out of the anterior chamber of the eye (the space just behind the cornea) and thus decreasing the pressure inside the eyes

Both types of laser treatments can be an effective adjunct to medication therapy, especially for those patients whose open-angle glaucoma continues to get worse in spite of medication treatment or for those patients who are not able to use topical medicines to treat the condition. Laser treatment may also be used as a primary treatment to reduce or eliminate the need for topical glaucoma medications which has the potential to save patients thousands of dollars in prescription medication costs and improve patient compliance. Patient compliance to glaucoma treatment regimens is one of the biggest challenges in successful management of the disease.

Laser trabeculoplasty is not done for patients who have closed-angle glaucoma.

What to Expect

• Laser trabeculoplasty is done as an outpatient procedure and takes about 10 minutes. Most patients feel little or no discomfort, but some will report feeling heat during the procedure.
• The patient’s pressure will be checked by the doctor at our office in Fort Lauderdale within 2 hours of the surgery and follow-up visits will be scheduled at appropriate intervals for their case.
• Complications of laser trabeculoplasty are rare.