[Effects of low-intensity laser irradiation on visual fields of patients with glaucoma]

Twenty-three patients (28 eyes) with open-angle glaucoma and controlled intraocular pressure were administered a course of He-Ne laser treatment. Irradiation parameters were as follows: wavelength 0.63 microns, light spot diameter 5 mm, energy 2 mWt, session duration 240 sec. A course consisted of 10 sessions. Seventeen eyes of the same patients were controls. Visual field was examined before the treatment and after it, immediately and in 3 to 3.5 months using Humphrey field analyzer and full field 120 points threshold related test. The treatment resulted in field deficit reduction by 10% and more in 21 (75%) of the 28 eyes. On an average, visual field deficit reduced by 22.4%. Three to 3.5 months after the treatment the mean value of visual field deficit was still lower than initially by 19.7%. No side effects were observed in any of the cases. In controls a trend to increase of field deficit developed within the same period, though the differences were statistically unreliable. The data indicate a positive effect of local low-energy laser exposure on visual field status of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and controlled intraocular pressure.