Argon Laser Iridoplasty
In glaucoma, increased eye pressure pushes against the nerve and leads to nerve damage. In certain forms of glaucoma the reason the eye pressure increases is the iris (colored part of the eye) is pushing up against the drain (trabecular meshwork). When this occurs a laser can be used to mechanically pull the iris away from the drain. This laser is called Iridoplasty. Iridoplasty uses a laser to treat the peripheral edges of the iris with heat energy. The heat causes the proteins in the tissue to shrink which causes contraction of the tissue. This changes the anatomy of the iris and in some cases can pull the iris away from the drain to lower the eye pressure. Types of glaucoma which can be treated with Iridoplasty include plateau iris, acute angle closure, chronic angle closure and narrow angle.
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