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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
"SLT is the easiest type of glaucoma surgery. It's a piece of cake,"
says T. Hunter Newsom, MD, founder of the Newsom Eye & Laser
Center in Tampa and Sebring, Fla. "There's no anesthesia, patients
walk into the office and walk out. It's no
more difficult than an eye exam."
SLT's outcomes have proven effective for patients across the board.
"It can be your first line of treatment, even before eye drops," says Dr.
Newsom. "For early to moderate glaucoma, it can replace 1 drop
about 80% of the time. Even patients with severe glaucoma can have
SLT before they undergo trabeculectomy or tube shunt surgery."
Unlike argon laser trabeculoplasty, its predecessor technology, SLT
selectively targets specific cells in the meshwork and, as a result, cre-
ates less thermal damage. "It's a kinder, gentler treatment that delivers
a nice pressure drop," says Ken Olander, MD, PhD, a glaucoma spe-
cialist at University Eye Surgeons in Knoxville, Tenn.
This limited damage makes SLT a prime option for repeat use in long-
term treatment. Such return visits may be necessary since, as Dr.
Olander points out, even SLT's best outcomes are not permanent. "Most
of the results are gone by 2 or 3 years," he says. "I've had patients
who've had it done 4 to 6 times."
Despite the temporary effects, it's had a huge impact on patients'
sight, as demonstrated by recent case volumes. "There has been a
huge uptick in the number of SLTs done in the last couple of years,"
says Dr. Olander. While the $60,000, single-purpose laser may seem
like a budgetary burden, it's not hard to equip your facility, he notes.
"Lasers used to be large and difficult to maintain. SLT is a smaller
unit, it fits onto a slit lamp, it's office-portable."
O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
