A Trial to Compare the Laser Treatment (SLT vs. ALT) in Glaucoma Patients (SLTRepeat)

Lawson Health Research Institute

Status and phase: Unknown; Phase 3

Conditions: Glaucoma

Treatments: Procedure: Selective laser trabeculoplasty; Procedure: Argon laser trabeculoplasty

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01687465

CIHR granted glaucoma RCT

Details and patient eligibility

About

Lasers are important therapy in glaucoma. They are a pivotal point in treatment between medical and surgical care. Over the last 10 years a new laser has emerged as the usual laser treatment: Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). SLT works as well as the older laser used: argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT). However SLT has many theoretical benefits over ALT including causing less damage to the tissue it affects. One of the potential patient centered benefits of this laser is that it may be repeatable. It is even possible that the old laser ALT may be useable after an SLT treatment. This study aims to uncover whether repeat laser is possible after SLT and if so which laser is more effective (ALT vs SLT). The potential of repeating laser therapies may delay surgical treatment and its complications. Also understanding which laser to use will help eye doctors know how to treat their patients at this point of the disease.

Enrollment: 139 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Over age of 18 yo.
• OAG including pigmentary dispersion syndrome and pseudoexfoliation
• OAG has been treated with 360 degrees of SLT
• two sighted eyes,
• willing to participate after being informed of and reading the patient information material.

Exclusion criteria

• Narrow angle glaucoma
• Previous glaucoma surgery
• Eye surgery expected in the next 12 months
• Severe corneal disease
• On or anticipated steroid in 6 months
• Pregnant or breast feeding

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

139 participants in 2 patient groups

Argon laser trabeculoplasty

Active Comparator group

Description:

Up to the year 2005, the vast majority of ophthalmologists used Argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) as the mode of laser therapy. ALT is effective but its most significant problem is that its effectiveness decreases with re-treatment since the tissue it targets (the trabecular meshwork) is changed by the laser rendering repeat treatments less effective.

Treatment:

Procedure: Selective laser trabeculoplasty

Procedure: Argon laser trabeculoplasty

selective laser trabeculoplasty

Active Comparator group

Description:

Post 2005, a newer mode of laser therapy, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has emerged as the standard of care laser. There are many potential advantages to SLT but to date these advantages are only theoretical. The most important potential clinical advantage of SLT is that it causes less damage to the tissue it targets.

Treatment:

Procedure: Selective laser trabeculoplasty

Procedure: Argon laser trabeculoplasty