The Laser Quest for a Happy Medium In glaucoma, medical management is plagued with noncompliance, and filtration surgery can be complex and risky. Could laser-based treatments offer a happy medium? Roisin McGuigan | 01/18/2017











At a Glance Topical glaucoma therapy is usually very effective at lowering IOP – so long as the patient follows the regimen, and self-administers the drops correctly.

Even though eyedrop use can be associated with adverse events which reduce patients’ quality of life, filtration surgery is still viewed by some as risky, and an “option of last resort”

Two glaucoma specialists review two laser-based techniques occupying the middle ground between drops and penetrating incisional techniques: SLT and CLASS

Is there a happy medium? An approach that lowers IOP and reduces patients’ reliance on drops without requiring invasive surgery? Few people under your care are “model patients.” Almost everyone misses a dose now and then, and it’s understandable. People have busy lives to lead, and some things get forgotten. The problem is, glaucoma is a progressive disease. Missed doses soon add up to progression, and unless the disease has been caught by screening measures (perhaps because of a family history), it’s likely that the disease is first diagnosed at a relatively advanced stage (and age) – as that’s when people start noticing vision loss. So this renders a predominantly elderly population, some of whom might be forgetful, with stiff fingers, and who need to take a considerable number of other medications to take each day (in addition to their eyedrops) just to get by – yet they are at a critical stage of their disease, where any progression equals vision loss.

Read the full article now Log in or register to read this article in full and gain access to The Ophthalmologist’s entire content archive. It’s FREE and always will be! Login Email Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in Log in Or register now - it’s free and always will be! You will benefit from: Unlimited access to ALL articles

News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts

Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Ophthalmologist magazine Register Or Login via Social Media Twitter By clicking on any of the above social media links, you are agreeing to our Privacy Notice.

About the Author

Roisin McGuigan

I have an extensive academic background in the life sciences, having studied forensic biology and human medical genetics in my time at Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities. My research, data presentation and bioinformatics skills plus my ‘wet lab’ experience have been a superb grounding for my role as a deputy editor at Texere Publishing. The job allows me to utilize my hard-learned academic skills and experience in my current position within an exciting and contemporary publishing company.