Laser Induced Damage to Disposable Gonioscopy Lenses During Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty.

The substitution of reusable gonioscopy lenses for disposable gonioscopy lenses during selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has occurred over the last few years to mitigate infection risk. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential of laser damage to the lens itself during SLT, which can lead to laser scattering, increasing the possibility of unintended adverse effects. We have noticed that over 90% of the disposable lenses used for SLT sustained some sort of laser-induced damage with routine laser energies (0.4-1.0 mJ). Comparisons of clinical efficacy of SLT, measured by reductions in intraocular pressure (IOP), between the use of reusable and disposable lenses has shown no difference in IOP reduction, with both groups achieving a 20% reduction in IOP over the course of 12 months. While no clinical difference in outcomes was observed, further investigation into this issue, most notably the possibility of adverse effects due to laser scattering, is warranted.

Tele-glaucoma versus clinical evaluation: The New Jersey Health Foundation Prospective Clinical Study.

INTRODUCTION: Glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness, is normally detected in clinic. With technological improvements, tele-glaucoma exams can identify these changes off-site. The quality of tele-glaucoma exams needs to be compared with that of traditional exams. This study's purpose was to validate the tele-glaucoma programme, which allows a physician comprehensive access to patients' data, by comparing results to clinical examinations. METHODS: A prospective study of 107 subjects evaluated in clinic and then tele-glaucoma stations, which consisted of non-mydriatic fundus photography, puff-tonometry, auto-refraction and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The OCT captured central corneal thickness, angle anatomy, cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), retinal nerve fibre layer distribution and posterior-pole ganglion cell complex data. RESULTS: Intraocular pressure (IOP) comparisons between clinical and tele-glaucoma exams had strong positive Pearson correlation coefficients (0.8248 OD, 0.8672 OS). Strong positive correlations were seen for CDR (0.7835 OD, 0.8082 OS) as well as diagnosis (glaucoma, no glaucoma or glaucoma suspect). A moderate positive correlation was seen for return to clinic time (RTC). Tele-glaucoma had an average lower RTC (2.7 vs 3.9 months). Tele-glaucoma was more likely to elicit a non-glaucomatous diagnosis not found in clinic vs a diagnosis found only in clinic (18% vs 5% of subjects). DISCUSSION: Tele-glaucoma allows for detecting glaucoma remotely. These advancements alleviate patient difficulties with obtaining adequate glaucoma screenings and helps ophthalmologists triage patients with more severe pathology. Our study indicates that our tele-glaucoma protocol is comparable to a clinical exam in its ability to detect glaucoma. Further studies will be needed for off-site testing and transferring data separately for analysis.