Consensual Ophthalmotonic Reaction Following Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty

AIM: “Consensual ophthalmotonic reaction” refers to changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) in one eye, which is accompanied by a corresponding change in IOP in the contralateral eye. This study evaluates whether monocular administration of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) leads to a consensual ophthalmotonic reaction and how long this effect lasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients receiving SLT at Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit, MI, from January 2015 to August 2016. Patients were excluded if they had previous history of glaucoma incisional and/or laser procedures; required additional laser trabeculoplasty; had glaucoma medication changes during the follow-up period; experienced no decrease in IOP during the follow-up period; or had a diagnosis of angle closure on gonioscopy. Various demographic, clinical, and surgical data were collected. IOP measurements were collected at baseline and postoperatively at 1–3 months, 4–9 months, and 12–15 months. RESULTS: At all follow-up periods, the IOP of the treated eye was decreased from baseline IOP (p ≤ 0.05, paired t-test). For the fellow eye, there was a statistically significantly decrease from baseline up to the 4–9 months follow-up period (p ≤ 0.05, paired t-test). Linear regression analysis of the percent reduction in IOP from baseline in the SLT-treated eye with the fellow eye shows a mild correlation at all-time points: R(2) = 0.284 (p < 0.001) at 1–3 months; R(2) = 0.348 (p < 0.001) at 4–9 months; R(2) = 0.118 (p = 0.054) at 12–15 months. CONCLUSION: This study showed that monocular administration of SLT results in a consensual ophthalmotonic reaction. The consensual ophthalmotonic reaction appears to last for up to 4–9 months. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Therefore, although SLT does lead to a consensual ophthalmotonic reaction, monocular administration of SLT is not a reliable method of long-term IOP control for the contralateral non-SLT-treated eye. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Nassiri N, Mei F, Tokko H, et al. Consensual Ophthalmotonic Reaction Following Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2022;16(1):36–40.