Iridotomy

When the anterior chamber (the front part of the eye between the iris and the cornea) is too small, the liquid in the front part of the eye cannot drain off properly. This makes your eye pressure rise in a short amount of time and can damage your optic nerve, which will make your visual field smaller.

A laser is used during this treatment to make a small hole in the iris so the drainage of the liquid will become more fluent. To do this, the patient takes a seat and places the chin on the chin rest. The treatment takes about 30 seconds per eye.

An iridotomy treatment is performed to prevent acute glaucoma. If performed correctly, 1 laser treatment is sufficient for the rest of your life.

You will receive eye drops in preparation for the treatment. These eye drops will reduce the eye pressure and make your pupils smaller, which can give you a blurry sight and might cause a headache. You should provide your transport because of the blurry view and it is important to limit physical efforts on the day of the laser treatment and the day after for a good healing.

Small bleedings may occur, just like a headache and high eye pressure. For this reason, you might need to see the ophthalmologist a week after the treatment to ensure everything is going well.

After the treatment, eye drops should be used for 1 week 3 times a day against inflammation.