Argon laser trabeculoplasty for chronic angle-closure glaucoma uncontrolled by iridotomy

Nineteen eyes of 19 Japanese patients with medically uncontrollable chronic angle-closure glaucoma following laser iridotomy or surgical iridectomy underwent argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT), applying low-power and a small number of laser burns over a small extent of the trabecular meshwork. All the eyes had glaucomatous optic disc damage, visual field loss, and intraocular pressure elevation before ALT. In each case, the extent of peripheral anterior synechiae was equal or less than 50% of the angle. The mean follow-up was 35 months. Life-table analysis (Kaplan-Meier method) showed that the probability of success was 66% at the end of three years after ALT. It is concluded that in the cases of uncontrollable chronic angle-closure glaucoma following laser iridotomy or surgical iridectomy, ALT should be tried before filtration surgery.