Testing lower-dose laser eye treatment for glaucoma and high eye pressure

Plain-English translation of NCT04967989 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated August 2026 · Translation generated August 2026 · How we translate trials

Phase 3 — Testing in thousands of people, comparing the treatment against what doctors currently use. This is the last big step before approval.

What is this trial?

This trial is testing selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), a laser treatment that helps lower eye pressure in people with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The study wants to know if using lower laser energy is just as effective as the standard higher energy, and whether repeating the lower-energy treatment once a year works better than waiting until the treatment wears off before doing it again.

Currently, many patients with glaucoma rely on daily eye drops to control their eye pressure, which can be inconvenient and have side effects. This trial is exploring whether the new treatment approach could help people avoid or delay needing these daily medications, while potentially being gentler with lower energy levels.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you are 18 years old or older and in overall good health
you have been diagnosed with high-risk ocular hypertension, mild glaucoma, or moderate glaucoma in at least one eye
your vision is 20/200 or better (with or without corrective lenses)
you have not taken eye pressure-lowering medications for more than 6 months in the past 5 years
you have not had any previous eye pressure-lowering laser treatment or glaucoma surgery

You likely don't qualify if…

you have advanced glaucoma (more severe than moderate primary open-angle glaucoma)
you have had any intraocular surgery in the past 6 months
you have narrow or closed angles in your eye (a structural problem that makes certain treatments unsafe)
you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 4 years
you have corneal problems that would prevent accurate eye pressure measurement

What participation looks like

You will receive an initial laser treatment (SLT) at the standard energy level. Then, at 12 months, you'll be randomly assigned to either receive repeat low-energy laser treatments once per year, or to have treatments only when needed at standard energy. You will need to attend all scheduled study visits over approximately 2 years so researchers can monitor your eye pressure and vision to see which approach works best at controlling your glaucoma and delaying the need for daily eye drops.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Aug 27, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(29 sites)

United States

Harvard Eye Associates, Laguna Hills, California

Doheny Eye Center UCLA, Pasadena, California

University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California

University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Mile High Eye Institute, Sheridan, Colorado