Transpupillary Thermotherapy (TTT)

Accounts of Personal Experiences

Nancy Kuntzman, 1st report:

I had my TTT treatment Aug. 17th. It was quite simple. Dr Glister explained it would take a minute. He focused the laser in my eye. All I saw was a bar of light. I did see a red spot. I asked if this was the blood from the bleeding but he explained it was a light that he had to line up where he was going to do the laser. I felt nothing and saw nothing but the bar of light. Next he said we are done.

I had no special instructions. And go back for the follow up Sept. 28th. I did use common sense after for about a week. I stayed out of the sun unless I had dark glasses. As little of that as possible. I also stayed out of bright lights. I want to give this every chance I can for good results. I noticed poor vision for about 3 days and that has cleared up. No better no worse. I have no black spots or any side affects.

This was done during my 3 week vacation. When I returned to work I am getting a steady dimming in my vision. I am sure it has nothing to do with my treatment, but to the bright lights I work under and high stress in feeling my work instead of seeing it. I will let you know what the Dr. says the 28th.

Nancy Kuntzman, 2nd report:

I had my follow-up on my TTT treatment today. I left out something important in my first posting. A cool soothing and very wet contact was inserted to begin with. Sorry about that.

My exam today consisted of the eye being dilated. Normal exam with great news. It is bone dry back there’s no bleeding or leakage. I go back Dec. 7th. for photos and all. I am thrilled with the results. My eye feels stronger. As I try to read the vision really isn’t better but I feel that eye is trying.

Mary Ann Guilliams:

Go for the TTT. I had TTT in March. It stopped the leakage. My leakage had been occuring for 8 months and it was on the edge of the macula. The treatment is not really even uncomfortable. They put a socket-like thing in the eye and your eye is paralyzed (sort of) from the drops. You see a skinny rectangle with a red circle located in the middle. The laser is turned on for about 60 seconds, maybe less. I actually could see the spot where the blood vessel was turning an ashen gray, white. For me, the laser was repeated for another few seconds. Then I went home. Both eyes were slightly blurry (different from the blurriness caused by CNV) and I was happy my daughter was driving. I crashed in bed just because I always do even after having my eyes dialated.

As for the results, they are/were slow in coming. Two weeks after treatment I went into the grocery store and had the first indication that the treatment was working because the colors were so bright. I hadn’t noticed losing my ability to perceive colors before, but after the leakage stopped, the intensity was really quite dramatic. From that point on, the improvement has just been a very, very slow shrinkage of the grey blob in the middle. My distortion had already resolved before the treatment. And I can move what’s left of the blob around and focus. I am telling you that I have very functional vision in that eye. I can recognize faces. I can now see things going down the road. Before I lost whole cars in the blob. I am beginning to read license plates. I see red and green lights. Reading still would still be difficult with just that one eye, but only because it would be slow trying to move the remaining little blob around to focus.

I am very happy with TTT. I was disqualified for the Visudyne trials and was crushed because I think they would have been effective too. The only thing I refused was the traditional laser because of the permanent damage. I feel I have no damage from the TTT.

TTT doesn’t have to be FDA approved because there is no drug involved. I would not hesitate to have TTT again in that eye or on the other eye if ever necessary. I think it is a miracle, but not one that happened overnight. It takes a great deal of patience.

Nancy Kuntzman, 3rd report:

I can’t wait to share this news. I had my follow up today. First I found out Dr. Glatzer is involved in a nationwide study for TTT treatments. He said he had become skeptical about the results of this treatment until recently. He has one patient who went from 20-300 to 20/… I don’t remember, but it was a double digit #. That was the astounding one. He had another that had a very great improvement and then me. I have gained a line on the chart and passed the finger test at about 5 feet. I was at about three feet before. I am bone dry where he did the treatment. I do have a hot spot which he is going to use regular laser on next Thursday. The spot is too small to do the TTT. He is very pleased with the results after six months and said he thinks the TTT is working.