Laser trabeculoplasty is the primary treatment for glaucoma. It involves using a laser to correct the drainage angle of your eye. The surgery seeks to ease fluid flow (aqueous humor) from the front part of your eye. Proper drainage decreases the pressure inside the eye. Laser treatment is done when eye drop medications fail to lower intraocular pressure.

Laser trabeculoplasty is of two forms. They are argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) and selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). The Sacramento Eye Consultants offer both of these glaucoma treatments.

Differentiate ALT From SLT

With ALT, the surgeon uses a laser beam to broaden the drainage angle. He also opens up any clogged channels along the trabecular meshwork. The surgeon may choose to treat only half of the eye in a single session and treat the other half in a follow-up session. You can only repeat this treatment once.

SLT is like the ALT procedure, only that the laser beam used is larger and gentler. This treatment procedure is the newer of the two. It selectively targets the pigmented cells, leaving the rest of the cells untreated. SLT may be repeated many times whenever the effects of the last treatment wear off.

Are You a Candidate for Laser Trabeculoplasty?

Persons with open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension qualify for laser trabeculoplasty.

Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the trabecular meshwork prevents the fluid from flowing adequately. The trabecular meshwork is the drainage between the iris and the cornea. Ocular hypertension is characterized by heightened ocular pressure that blocks the drainage angle. It does not damage the optic nerve.

The doctor may examine you further to ascertain your suitability for this treatment.

Risks Associated With Laser Trabeculoplasty

Laser treatments scare many people, although they are relatively safer than other procedures. You may not have any significant side effects but for some slight irritation. Your vision may also turn blurry immediately after the procedure, but this clears up soon.

Some people develop an increase in intraocular pressure, but this is temporary. It goes away with medication. But, if the pressure persists, which is rare, the doctor corrects it with glaucoma surgery.

Any inflammation, scratch, or irritation is also temporary. The doctor prescribes some medication to help it go away faster.

Unfortunately, you don’t stop taking glaucoma medication even after successful treatment. Although the surgery lowers intraocular pressure, you must continue with the prescribed medication.

Recovering From Laser Trabeculoplasty

After laser surgery, wearing an eye patch is not mandatory. You can get back to your everyday life right after the procedure. You only need to get the prescribed anti-inflammatory eye drops to help with any soreness in the days following the procedure. The results of the laser trabeculoplasty should be visible several weeks following.

Be careful not to skip your glaucoma medication throughout this process.

After the procedure, the doctor schedules you for a series of appointments in the following two months, with 1-2 weeks intervals. During your visits, the doctor examines the progress made so far to determine the treatment’s effectiveness. In one of your follow-up visits, the doctor may perform the procedure on the remaining half of the eye.

Sacramento Eye Consultants specialize in laser vision correction through minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries. Get the laser trabeculoplasty procedure done by our team of eye surgeons and ophthalmology experts. Visit us in our offices in Sacramento and Lincoln, California. You can also call (916) 915-0300 to request an appointment.