HOW LARGE MUST AN IRIDOTOMY BE

Four cases of acute angle closure glaucoma in eyes with a small but patent Nd-YAG laser imdotomy are presented, and similar cases in the literature are reviewed. Theoretically a 15 tm diameter iridotomy should be large enough to prevent angle closure glaucoma due to pupil block. Mechanisms by which larger iridotomies fail to prevent angle closure glaucoma, and the role of provocation tests following iridotomy, are discussed. An iridotomy should be at least 150-200 μm in diameter if acute angle closure glaucoma is to be reliably prevented.