Reduction in eye pressure sustained after laser cataract surgery

Traditional cataract surgery has often times been used to manage high Intraocular eye pressure (IOP) associated with glaucoma. However, when it comes to laser cataract surgery, the effects it has on IOP in the long-term had not previously been studied. Researchers at the University of Colorado conducted a retrospective study to determine if laser cataract surgery offered the same benefits as traditional cataract surgery.

Researchers examined the information on 504 eyes of patients that underwent the laser cataract surgery. 278 patients had a preoperative diagnosis of glaucoma or suspected glaucoma and 226 had healthy eyes.  

Both groups had a spike in IOP on day one of the surgery. After one week, IOP was back to baseline and both groups had a notable decrease at one month as compared to their baseline measurements. One year after surgery, the decrease was still maintained and a post-operative follow-up three years later still saw the decrease sustained. Researchers concluded that there was no differences in long-term IOP between traditional and laser cataract surgeries.