ABSTRACT
Laser therapy has become the method of choice for treating many forms of glaucoma, especially when medical modalities prove inadequate or patient compliance with medical regimens is poor. In angle-closure glaucoma with papillary block, for example, neodymium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd:YAG) or argon laser iridotomy (ALT) has almost replaced surgical iridectomy. Argon laser trabeculoplasty has advanced the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma by providing a safe and usually effective means of achieving intraocular pressure reductions with fewer complications than invasive surgical procedures such as trabeculectomy. In cases of medically and surgically uncontrollable glaucoma, Nd:YAG and diodelaser cyclophotocoagulation of the ciliary body have proven effective.
