Can anyone that has had laser treatment talk me through the recovery please, timescales, was it successful etc.
Also is there anyone that has had laser treatment and is a contact lens wearer, were you able to continue to wear your lenses afterwards?
Many thanks and sorry for all the questions at the moment 😊
Hi Nala, I had SLT on both eyes about three weeks ago. I’m afraid I can’t tell you how successful it was yet as I’m due to go back next week to see if it has worked. But with regard to recovery it is really quick. Basically my consultant carried out the procedure in his room and it took about 5 minutes in each eye. You cannot drive straight after as the drops they put in your eye to carry out the procedure impact your vision slightly but soon wear off. I had to use anti inflammatory drops for a week, but that was it.
They recommend SLT as the first treatment now for glaucoma, the hope being that it will delay the need to use drops or at least so many different drops.
I’m afraid I cannot help with your question about contact lenses as I haven’t needed to wear them since my cataract operations, but I was able to go straight back to wearing make up etc so I shouldn’t think you’ll have a problem. I’m sure your consultant will go through all this with you.
Good luck 😊
Thank you so much for replying, I really appreciate your help. It sounds extremely encouraging and I’m probably worry about nothing. Good luck with your follow up check up’s.
Thank you. The procedure itself really isn’t anything to worry about.
Hi Nala2509! It’s totally understandable to be anxious prior to SLT. I was. So anyway I also just had SLT 4 weeks ago. Spanieldoglover has given a good account of the procedure and it really isn’t that bad. I will also see the consultant and check if pressures have dropped next week. I have had reactions to some drops and can’t take beta blockers so SLT is being used instead of adding a drop in my situation. My pressures are fairly low at 14/15 but my glaucoma is still progressing so SLT is hopefully going to push pressures down lower. I’ll let you know how I get on next week.
For what it’s worth, I would have chosen SLT as my first line treatment rather than drops. Once you get into multiple drops multiple times a day it can be a bit if hassle. I was 55 when I was diagnosed so I am going to be taking those drops for an awfully long time so anything that keeps drops to a minimum is ok by me. 👍🏻
Thank you so much for your reply. Thankfully my pressures are low, but I am having a reaction to the drops. I also can’t have beater blockers and after many months on monprost, it seems that my eyes are again not happy with the drops. Good luck with your next appointment, I hope it goes well for you.
Hi Beecalmed, just out of interest has your consultant stopped all drops until your check up next week?
No. I was told to carry on with the drops same as prior to the procedure. As I said I’m not under the impression this is about SLT allowing me to come off drops in my case. SLT is being added in as we’ve sort of run out of drops and the drops we’ve tried have either stopped being effective or I am allergic to them.🙁 My IOPs we’re about 12 last check few weeks ago and down from 14/15 prior to SLT. My consultant wants them to stay in the low teens. I was 28 in each eye at diagnosis 3 yrs ago but vision damage was done at IOPs of around 18 prior to diagnosis. I have slightly thin corneas so IOPs read higher than actual I think. I’d like to avoid any more than two different drops 3 times a day as adding more drops seems to trigger the allergic reaction.Did you say you’re off drops after SLT?
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a problem with drops, but good that your pressures are so low. I hope the SLT has been successful for you. Yes my consultant told me to stop the drops so he could see if the SLT had worked. He only put me on latanoprost one drop in the evening because I had to have my cataracts done otherwise he said he would’ve done the SLT straight away. He wants my pressures to be low teens too to stop further damage so I will see when I go back on Tuesday what he says. To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m back on drops, but it would be wonderful if that is delayed.
Good luck with your pressures next week then! It’ll be interesting to hear how we’ve both got on. 👍🏻
Yes good luck with yours too, let me know 😊
Had SLT in both a year ago. The procedure was all over within 15 mins. I had a little soreness in both eyes for a couple of days but not severe, and certainly not enough to stop me doing anything. I had my review a few weeks later to be told it had worked in one eye but not the other and therefore I started using drops in the ‘failed’ eye. I was initially disappointed at this because if I have to use drops in one eye then I may as well use drops for both and therefore the laser treatment seemed pointless. HOWEVER now we are a few months on I have had time to accept the situation and to be honest if I was able to go back in time then I would still have the laser treatment as the procedure was so painless that irrespective of the outcome it is worth a try.
Thank you for your reply. So sorry it only worked in one eye, is it something they will retry in the failed eye?I think I’m probably overthinking it as i saw yet another consultant who said he wanted me to have slt without any discussion and before I had time to breath, he was requesting an appointment for me.
My consultant was the same. At the time of being diagnosed I was told the best treatment was slt and they would do it within a couple of weeks. I agreed to this as it was a no brainer to be honest (simple procedure and a good success rate). Anyway Covid hit a few days later and after spending ages chasing them up to see what was going on I was put on drops for the time being. I had slt 10 months later. On the follow up I asked about having it done again but consultant dismissed it for the time being saying I was to stay on drops for the ‘bad’ eye. We have moved houses since then and I am waiting to get an appointment at new location (first hospital I was referred to has a 50 week waiting list the second has an 18 week wait) but my first question when I get seen will be asking if I can have slt again.
I had laser treatment about 6 months ago in both eyes as the drops weren't working well. The actual procedure is painless, my only problem was sitting motionless in one position for quite some time as I have shoulder pain, and this made it worse.Apart from that the procedure was nothing to worry about. My pressures increased a lot immediately after.... they make you wait in clinic for half an hour as this is not unexpected. I had drops which reduced the pressure and I didn't need any steroid drops.
Sadly the procedure didn't work for me and my consultant said he could repeat it but the chances of it working a second time, if it didn't work the first time, were negligible.
Thank you for your reply, I’m sorry it didn’t work for you, I hope your pressures are under control now.
Hi Nala, look under the posts surgery and laser... i have my posts on there. I had SLT in March.I chose to have 1 eye at a time, and the 2nd eye 1 week later as a precaution in case I had blurry vision for a while. However, I live in France and everything is quick I would get both eyes done otherwise you will probably wait around 6 weeks for the 2nd eye.
You sit in a chair, as if you are having your pressure done. They put drops in your eyes about 1 hour before. The doctor puts a round eye opener on your eye. It is not noisy does not hurt and takes 5 minutes. Afterwards, I just did not use a screen and I just rested. I was fine within 1 day. I did not get an infection or anything.
I still take 1 eye drop monoprost, I was on 2 and my pressure was 28 before my slt. It is now 18/19 and it is now 9 months later. I will never be drop free and I am happy with the results and I hope it lasts for a while.
In looking at research, and speaking to my doctor a 'virgin' eye that has never had drugs reacts better to SLT laser treatment.
SLT is not a cure it may last 3-6 years dependent on the person and can be done up to 3 times. Its just something to try first to avoid further drops..
take care valeriefrance
glaucoma.org/treatment/sele...
SLT laser surgery procedure 
