Professor Gazzard led the world’s largest, pivotal and highly influential study proving laser can be safely and effectively used for newly diagnosed open angle glaucoma patients: Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT)
Results of a pioneering research study, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and led by Professor Gus Gazzard have established the effectiveness of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) as an effective treatment for Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension (OHT).
JUST ANNOUNCED: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently issued new guidelines for the treatment of thousands of patients with glaucoma in England following a major study at Moorfields. It is now recommending the use of SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty) as a first line treatment option to lower internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure), instead of eye drops. Previously, SLT was advised as a second choice, and was only considered if there was issue with taking eye drops. The change was made in large part due to the findings of the Laser in Glacuoma and Ocular Hypertension (LiGHT) Study, led by Gus Gazzard, ophthalmology consultant at Moorfields and professor of Glaucoma Studies at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
The SLT Procedure and How it Works!
Here is what patients can expect during the simple and painless SLT procedure that usually takes less than 15 minutes.
Anaesthetic eyedrops are administered in the eye that is being treated to numb the surface of the eye. The drops take between 10-15 seconds to work. The patient then rests their chin on the chin rest and head against the bar, similar to the slit lamp instrument that is used to examine the eyes.
The surgeon then positions a lens on the patient’s eye and painlessly applies the Laser to the affected eye’s trabecular meshwork. The treatment allows the fluid inside the eye to drain from the eye more readily and thereby relieve the ocular pressure that causes Glaucoma. The recovery period is minimal with most patients returning to normal life the day after treatment.
In this video, Professor Gus Gazzard reflects on his pioneering glaucoma research with Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT)
If you’d like to know more about this and other treatments available for Glaucoma, or think that you may benefit from a consultation, please get in touch here.