Laser Peripheral Iridotomy

Laser peripheral iridotomy is a procedure that uses a laser to create a small opening in the iris, performed to prevent or treat narrow-angle, or angle-closure, glaucoma. The opening gives the fluid inside the eye an alternate pathway to drain, relieving the pupillary block that narrows the drainage angle between the iris and cornea. Left untreated, a narrow drainage angle can raise pressure inside the eye and damage the optic nerve, so the procedure is used both to treat acute angle closure and to prevent it in eyes identified as at risk.