It is generally accepted within the ophthalmic community that medical therapy is the preferred primary treatment in open-angle glaucoma, followed by laser trabeculoplasty if the medical therapy is unsuccessful, with surgery employed more as an end-stage option when these avenues have been exhausted. This review discusses the efficacy of argon laser trabeculoplasty, alone and in comparison with medical therapy as a primary treatment of glaucoma. It will also discuss the new laser technique, selective laser trabeculoplasty.