Efficacy of laser iridotomy in early primary angle-closure glaucoma.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the clinical results of applying laser iridotomy to early primary angle-closure glaucoma. Method: One hundred forty-eight patients with early primary angle-closure glaucoma were selected as research subjects. They were divided into observation and control groups. Each group included 74 patients. The observation group underwent laser iridotomy treatment with mannitol and pilocarpine. The control group merely received mannitol therapy along with pilocarpine. Results were analyzed retrospectively. The effective rate of treatment and the levels of intraocular pressure and visual acuity after treatment in the two groups were compared. Results: The effective rate of treatment of the observation group (83.8%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (68.9%), and the intraocular pressure and visual acuity of the observation group (19.67 +/- 2.37 and 0.7 +/- 0.2, respectively) were much better than those of the control group (25.06 +/- 1.67 and 0.4 +/- 0.1, respectively). The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The gap in the anterior chamber angle of the treated patients significantly increased compared with that before treatment. Conclusion: Laser iridotomy for the clinical treatment of early primary angle-closure glaucoma effectively reduces the intraocular pressure and improves the acuity level of patients; it also increases the gap in the anterior chamber angle. The effective rate of treatment is high, so the treatment improves the quality of life of patients. Therefore, this treatment can be popularized in clinical applications.