The Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System has become the first in the nation to add ophthalmic lasers for the treatment of glaucoma at its Montgomery-based VA clinic.
Ophthalmic lasers can be used to perform selective laser trabeculoplasty procedures, which reduce pressure on the eyes, according to a Feb. 16 news release from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The clinic was also the first to add tele-glaucoma technology, allowing physicians to assess glaucoma patients via telehealth.
Clinic physicians Arpita Bhasin, MD, PhD, and Manuj Kapur, MD, were the first to use the ophthalmic lasers, the release said.
"The laser technology at CAVHCS allows our ophthalmologists to perform various services to treat glaucoma, retina and secondary cataract problems in our veterans," Dr. Kapur said in the release. "The laser treatment is a minimally invasive procedure."