What's New in Glaucoma Care
SLT Laser
The goal of therapy for glaucoma is to lower the pressure in the eye. Eye drops are commonly used for this. Many people, however, do not like using eye drops or do not respond well to them. For those who don’t want to use eye drops, or who are not comfortable with using drops, a laser treatment can often be done with similar effect to use of a daily eye drop. The laser is not for everyone, and drops still may be needed, but it can be an effective way to help control the pressure inside the eye. At Hawaiian Eye Center, we are proud to offer the latest and most advanced laser available to treat early and moderate glaucoma. This is known as the SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty) laser and has been quite effective for many patients.
SLT laser differs from earlier similar forms of laser treatments because it is capable of lowering the pressure in the eye without causing damage to the eye’s structures. Older forms of laser designed to do the same thing caused heat damage to and distortion of structures within the eye. The SLT laser uses a “cool” laser rather than a heating laser to stimulate the eye’s natural drainage structures to lower the pressure within the eye. This non-damaging laser works well because the treatment can be repeated many times without any ill effects to the eye. It is an excellent way of controlling the pressure in patients with mild glaucoma who are not good candidates for ongoing treatment with eye drops.
Return to Top
Eye Drops
There are currently 5 classes of medication used in the treatment of glaucoma. These are generally administered in the form of eye drops which need to be used once or several times each day. In recent years, there have not been any new classes of glaucoma medication developed. There are new combinations of two medicines together than can help in increasing the chance you’ll use your medication properly. Future research is focused on new agents which may be safe and effective.
Return to Top
Narrow Angle Glaucoma
Some people develop glaucoma because the anatomy of their eye makes it more difficult for the fluid inside the eye to drain out. There is constantly fluid being produced inside the eye to maintain its shape, and that fluid drains out through a structure in the eye known as the “angle,” so called because it is a corner where two structures come together. If the “angle” is “narrow,” this means that fluid may not be able to drain as well, leading to an increase in the pressure inside the eye. Sometimes, when the angle is narrow to begin with, it can close, leading to a form of acute glaucoma known as angle closure glaucoma. Angle closure glaucoma is an emergency! The sudden rise in pressure in the eye results in a painful blurry eye often associated with headache and sometimes with nausea. This needs to be treated right away or risk permanent damage to the vision. Thus, for people with narrow angles, we often recommend a short painless laser treatment which prevents this eye emergency from ever occurring. Called a “laser iridotomy,” this treatment will usually prevent serious problems related to angle closure in the future.
Return to Top
