ARGON LASER TRABECULOPLASTY

Laser surgery has become increasingly popular as an intermediate step between drugs and traditional glaucoma surgery. The most common type of laser surgery performed for open-angle glaucoma is called Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT). The objective of the surgery is to help fluids drain out of the eye, reducing intra-ocular pressure that can cause damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision.

Although your eye care professional may suggest ALT surgery at any time, it is often performed after trying to control intra-ocular pressure with medicines. In some cases, you will need to keep taking glaucoma medications even after ALT surgery.

PERIPHERAL IRIDOTOMY

If your ophthalmologist suspects that you have “narrow” or “closed” angles, this means that the drainage channel of your eye is blocked or nearly blocked, placing you at high risk for elevated intraocular pressure and vision loss. This is called Agle-Closure Glaucoma.

An acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma is marked by very high eye pressure and complete blockage of the drainage channel in the eye. Symptoms include pain, red eye, and decreased vision.

 To treat angle-closure glaucoma, your ophthalmologist will perform a peripheral iridotomy (PI), creating a surgical opening within the upper part of the iris (the colored part of the eye) using a laser. This opening is typically so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. The opening in the iris allows fluid to flow from behind the iris through the opening, allowing the iris to fall back into a more normal position and opening the drain.