Selective laser trabeculoplasty as a first-line therapy: a review

Abstract

Poor adherence with glaucoma medications has been well documented. There remains a significant unmet need for a relatively safe intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering procedure that minimizes or eliminates patient participation, and thus reduce the incidence of treatment failures attributable to nonadherence. Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) offers several advantages: It effectively reduces IOP in most patients with open-angle glaucoma, it is cost-effective compared with eye drops, it can be repeated if needed, and it eliminates the issue of adherence to medications when used as an initial treatment. This article reviews the evidence supporting the use of SLT as a first-line therapy in glaucoma.