Q-Switched Neodymium-YAG Laser Iridotomy: A Field Trial With a Portable Laser System

Alan L. Robin, Sheila Arkell, Sandra M. Gilbert, Anthony A. Goossens, Robert P. Werner, Oliver M. Korshin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The efficacy of a small, portable, battery-operated, Q-switched neodymium-YAG laser with a slit-lamp delivery system was evaluated in a short-term pilot study. Iridotomies were created in 44 Eskimo eyes (23 patients) with occludable angles in Alaska's Kotzebue region. The laser was transported as regular baggage, was used in three villages (utilizing available facilities), and was operational within five minutes. Patent iridotomies were achieved in all eyes and with one pulse in 18 eyes (44%). Complications included transient bleeding from the iridotomy site in 23 eyes (52%), focal corneal opacities in 11 eyes (25%), and a transient immediate postoperative intraocular pressure elevation in nine eyes (20%). This appears to be the first portable laser system that can be used in frontier areas and underdeveloped nations to prophylactically treat pupillary-block glaucoma.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)526-530
Number of pages5
JournalArchives of ophthalmology
Volume104
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1986

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology

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