Since selective laser trabeculoplasty is primarily a treatment for glaucoma, the demographics of SLT mirror those of glaucoma itself. Glaucoma is a relatively common disorder in people over the age of 40. In the United States it is estimated...

that over two million people age 40 and older have primary open angle glaucoma, one of the major disorders treated by SLT. Between three and six million more Americans are at risk for glaucoma because they have abnormally high intraocular pressure. The cases of glaucoma increase with age such that 15 percent of people in their sixties have the disease.

 

Primary acute angle glaucoma is nearly four times as common among African Americans as it is in whites. Moreover, blacks are more susceptible to serious damage from elevated intraocular pressures. In fact, glaucoma is the most common cause of blindness in people of African descent. There is some evidence that increased intraocular pressure is higher in women, on average, than men.

 

It is important to note that not all patients with glaucoma will be treated surgically, even with selective laser trabeculoplasty. On the other hand, many people will undergo SLT without the eye reaching an internal pressure high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of glaucoma. Therefore it is difficult to estimate the precise demographics of selective laser trabeculoplasty.