Document text
M/SUNNY Temp: 46 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, April 13, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2003 Dr. Philip Paden�s new laser includes a microscope to help him fire a brief pulse of intense light into Ione Steidl�s eye. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli New laser treatment can prevent glaucoma, eliminates drainage problems that accompanied older procedures By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Donna Roy wasn’t eager to put drops in her eyes every day for the rest of her life. The 57-year-old Phoenix woman didn’t want to lose her vision, either. So when Dr. Philip Paden told Roy she had early symptoms of glaucoma, she decided to try a new laser treatment that may spare her the daily eye-drop routine. Paden treated Roy with a laser that prevents glaucoma by encouraging fluid drainage in the eye. If the fluids don’t drain, excess pressure could develop, pinching the optic nerve and causing blindness if left untreated over time. For years eye drops were the primary treatment for reducing pressure inside the eye, but the drops irritated many people’s eyes. Others found it difficult to apply the drops often enough — three or four times a day — to make them effective. "Balancing the eye drops with the side effects is a tremendous problem," Paden said. Lasers have been used to treat glaucoma for years, but Paden bought the new $59,000 machine because it offered significant improvements over earlier technology. Previous lasers burn microscopic holes in a region of the eye (the trabecular meshwork) where excess fluid normally drains. The tiny holes were subject to scarring, which sometimes caused drainage problems to return. The new laser encourages drainage by selectively destroying pigment in cells of the meshwork — rather like a tiny version of the lasers that destroy tattoos by vaporizing pigment inside skin cells. The eye laser uses brief pulses of intense green light that last for just three-billionths of a second. The procedure, known as selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), was approved by federal regulators just two years ago. It’s used only on "open angle" glaucoma, the most common disease among several that are caused by excess pressure inside the eye. Paden said his office is the first in Oregon to use SLT. While it doesn’t work for everyone, he said research reports suggest that 80 to 90 percent of people who choose the procedure can expect eye-fluid pressure to decrease at least as much as they could expect from using eye drops. It takes several weeks for the treatment to take full effect. Paden numbs the eye before firing up the laser, eliminating any pain during the 15 to 20 minutes he works on an eye. "There’s nothing to it," Roy said. "You sit in the chair, and he clicks the laser a few times at your eye." "I didn’t feel anything," said Ione Steidl, 89, of Medford, who was treated recently. Researchers estimate glaucoma affects about 3 million Americans, mostly over the age of 60. It occurs more frequently as people age, affecting 6 percent of people who reach the age of 90. Symptoms appear so gradually that many people suffer partial vision loss before glaucoma is detected. Paden declined to put a price tag on the procedure, but he described it as "much cheaper" than a year of eye drops for glaucoma. Eye drops can cost as much as $100 per month. Earlier laser treatments (known as argon laser trabeculoplasty, or ALT) generally were effective for about four years. Paden said SLT seems to last longer than traditional argon-laser treatments, but "it’s so new we don’t know how many years it will work." Marie Henney of Medford said Paden’s new laser has reduced her dependence on eye drops to treat her glaucoma. "I’m allergic to so many medicines," said Henney, 73, who has had glaucoma for 17 years. "They work for a while, and then I become allergic to them. "I’m down to one drop in each eye now," she said. Paden will review her condition in several weeks to determine whether she can stop the drops completely. "The beauty of the laser is patients don’t have to remember (to use eye drops),"he said. "It works day and night." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S