Efficacy and safety of micropulse laser trabeculoplasty for primary open angle glaucoma

AIM: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of micropulse laser trabeculoplasty (MLT) for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. METHODS: Retrospective study. POAG patients undergoing MLT in Peking University Third Hospital from June 2016 to November 2017. Seventy-two eyes of 72 POAG patients were enrolled. Only one eye of each patient was treated by MLT. The intraocular pressure (IOP) before MLT and at 1d, 1, 4, 12 and 24wk and glaucoma medication before and after treatment were compared. RESULTS: The IOP was 20.6 +/- 5.9 mm Hg before MLT and 20.8 +/- 6.8 mm Hg at 2h after MTL. The IOP at 1d, 1, 4, 12 and 24wk was 17.9 +/- 4.4, 18.0 +/- 4.3, 17.5 +/- 3.4, 17.0 +/- 2.7, and 16.5 +/- 2.9 mm Hg, respectively. The IOP before and after MLT demonstrated a statistically significant difference by ANOVA analyses (F=5.797, P<0.001). Least significant difference t-tests showed there was no statistically significant difference between pre-MLT IOP within 2h after MLT (P=0.207). The statistically significant difference was confirmed between the pre-MLT IOP at 1d, 1, 4, 12 and 24wk after MLT (P=0.006, 0.009, 0.001, <0.001, <0.001, respectively). The number of glaucoma medications before MLT was 1.7 +/- 1.4 and 1.5 +/- 1.4 24wk after MLT with a significantly statistical difference (t=2.219, P=0.031) CONCLUSION: MLT is effective and safe for POAG patients. No patient experienced IOP spikes after MLT. The IOP 6mo after treatment decreased significantly with less glaucoma medication.