The effect of combined application of argon and Nd-YAG lasers on iridectomy in rabbits

Recently iridectomy using an argon or Nd-YAG laser to treat narrow angle glaucoma has become popular, and is now the procedure of choice over the standard surgical technique. However, the shock wave of the Nd-YAG laser causes hemorrhage in almost all cases and the high energy level of the Nd-YAG laser, which is required for iridectomy, causes injury to the lens and cornea. Furthermore, there is a tendency toward closure of the iridectomy site after argon laser application. We performed iridectomies by a combined application of argon and Nd-YAG lasers in pigmented rabbits to improve iris bleeding, iridectomy patency, and lens and corneal damage. The iridectomy patency and the lens and corneal damage were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The rabbits that underwent laser iridectomies with only the Nd-YAG laser were used as a control group. Based on the results, it can be concluded that laser iridectomy by a combined application of argon and Nd-YAG lasers results in a lower rate of bleeding, a higher rate of patency, and less damage to the lens and cornea as compared with iridectomy performed by Nd-YAG laser only.