Ten year results of laser trabeculoplasty. Does the laser avoid glaucoma surgery or merely defer it?

The first 150 consecutive phakic eyes from 113 patients aged 40 years or more treated with laser trabeculoplasty were evaluated. Twenty-four patients (37 eyes) have died, two eyes developed spontaneous rubeosis, and one patient (one eye) was not available, leaving 110 eyes with a 6 to 10 years follow-up. Of the 37 eyes of dead patients (average age 80 years), only one eye had filtering surgery, and 33 of the other 36 eyes had a last recorded intraocular pressure of less than 21 mm Hg. Of the 110 eyes of living patients followed for 6 years, 33 had filtering surgery and 62 eyes (56 per cent) had an intraocular pressure of less than 21 mm Hg. Of 10 eyes followed for 10 years, eight had intraocular pressures less than 23 mm Hg, seven had pressures less than 21 mm Hg, and two had had filtering surgery. Eyes with advanced disc damage at the time of trabeculoplasty had a 51 per cent rate of later glaucoma surgery, while eyes with a cup/disc ratio less than 0.9 at trabeculoplasty had a glaucoma surgery rate of 16 per cent. Eyes of non-white patients did as well as eyes of white patients. Computer analysis of over 1,700 eyes with two-year follow-up indicated better long-term control when 100 or more laser burns were used for trabeculoplasty. Laser trabeculoplasty can defer surgery for the remaining lifespan in elderly patients, and has controlled primary open-angle glaucoma for over 10 years, but later glaucoma surgery is often required in eyes with far advanced glaucoma damage.