Researchers in London have found that the baseline tonographic outflow facility plays no predictive role in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) who received primary 360° selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) treatment. They found that baseline IOP was the only determinant of success post-SLT.

The review included 174 OAG and OHT patients who had received primary 360° SLT treatment and had reliable baseline tonographic outflow facility with a minimum of one year of follow-up. Of these, 72 subjects fulfilled the eligibility criteria.

The researchers found that the only variable associated with success was baseline IOP. The response to SLT at one year was not statistically associated with pretreatment tonographic outflow facility. The success rate based on 20% or greater IOP reduction without any IOP-lowering medication or additional glaucoma laser/surgical therapy from baseline at 12 months’ post-op was 75%.

According to the researchers, tonographic outflow facility alone would be unlikely to predict response to SLT, as a low tonographic outflow facility may be reflecting post-trabecular meshwork pathology and not solely trabecular meshwork pathology.