Micropulse Laser for the Treatment of Glaucoma: A Literature Review

Abstract

Glaucoma, a progressive optic neuropathy, is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Glaucoma patients are usually initially managed with medications and laser therapies, before more invasive ocular surgeries. For laser treatments of glaucoma, laser trabeculoplasty and laser transscleral cyclophotocoagulation lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) by increasing the aqueous outflow and decreasing the aqueous production, respectively. The development of a subthreshold laser technique, the micropulse laser, has been investigated as a potential alternative to traditional glaucoma laser procedures, with an aim to further decrease the risk of side effects without compromising the laser treatments’ efficacy. Few reviews have been done on the two current micropulse laser treatments for glaucoma - micropulse laser trabeculoplasty and micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation. Hence, the purpose of this review was to assess the efficacy and safety of micropulse laser techniques in the treatment of glaucoma.