Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To evaluate the influence of laser iridotomy on the long-term course of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with pigmentary glaucoma. Methods: Multicenter, retrospective analysis of pigmentary glaucoma patients who received laser iridotomy in one eye with no other surgical intervention in either eye and a minimum follow-up of 24 months.The mean change in IOP before and after iridotomy was compared between study and fellow eyes and analyzed for statistical significance. Results: The study included 46 patients ranging in age from 19 to 67 years old at time of iridotomy. All but 5 were caucasian and 35 were male. Mean duration of follow-up was 70.3 months (24-89). The mean IOP change was -4.0 mmHg (S.D. 5.4) in iridotomy eyes and -1.9 mmHg (S.D. 3.8) in fellow eyes, which is statistically significant by both the z-test (p<.03) and t-test (p<.04). There were no statistically significant differences between iridotomy and fellow eye with regards to mean change in: IOP lowering medications, progression of visual field defects, visual acuity, or progression of observed optic nerve head damage. Conclusion: This study suggests that laser iridotomy has a beneficial effect on the course of IOP in patients with pigmentary glaucoma.
Keywords: 444 intraocular pressure • 454 laser • 357 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials