Welcome to Connect, @jennyone. I moved your message to this existing discussion so that you can meet @jigglejaws94 who has had YAG Laser Iridotomy. Jiggle or @jinngee, can you share what you have learned with Jenny?

Jenny, why has this option been recommend to you at this time?

Hello -- I just had a Yag laser iridotomy done in my right eye about 3.5 weeks ago. The reason is because I have narrow angles and my ophthalmologist said that there was a rapid change in the angles over a four month period -- so much so that he has never had a patient progress so rapidly. Anyway -- I did not find the laser procedure itself to be painful. It felt like a little pinch in the eye and I believe it took about 5 "hits". Unfortunately, my physician didn't really warn me about what the after effects could be. You will likely be given a drug called pilocarpine which causes your pupil to constrict. It apparently also helps with thinning out the iris so that a good spot can be found to place the iridotomy. But it constricts the pupil for about 12-16 hours (or at least that is how long it lasted for me). I experienced very hazy vision for that same length of time also. Felt like I was looking through a brownish wedding veil or through a haze. About an hour after the procedure, I detected a light aberration -- which appeared as a horizontal line of light across my field of vision. Over the next few days, that progressed to more of a blob of light or a crescent of light in the mid to lower visual field. It does not bother me all the time but is worse in bright light and I notice it he most when I drive.

The placement of my iridotomy was in the superior position which is somewhere between 11 and 1 o'clock position. I felt good about that position because my eyelid would cover the iridotomy hole. However, that is not a guarantee that you will not experience dysphotopsia (glares, haloes, crescents, etc) following the procedure. In fact, there is some literature that indicates that some patients still experience this phenomenon even when the eyelid fully covers the iridotomy hole. It is especially worsened if your eyelid only partially covers the hole (and I think that may be my situation).

I spoke on the phone with my doctor the following week. I let him know that I had done some online research and found that there was quite a bit of information regarding the horizontal approach -- at the 3 or 9 o'clock position -- and that the indication was that there was less problems with light aberration at this position. He said that the trend is to do it at the 3 or 9 o'clock position but that he prefers to do it at the superior position based on a study that came out about 10 years ago indicating that 9 percent of people will notice some light aberration in a fully covered iridotomy, 18 percent experience the same with a completely exposed iridotomy site and 27 percent with a partially covered. So he says that the risk of experiencing this doubles with a fully exposed iridotomy. HOWEVER, there is a lot of literature that indicates that the patients who get the 3 or 9'oclock position (referred to as either on the horizontal meridian or temporal position) have far less difficulty with dysphotopsias.

I am scheduled to have my left eye done on October 26th. My physician said he is happy to place the iridotomy in the temporal position, if this is what I prefer. Well, I don't like the weight of the decision on me -- because I'm not a doctor. So I wrote up an email describing my situation and sent it to about a dozen professors specializing in Glaucoma and several of the leading medical school ophthalmology programs. I have received answers back from about 5 physicians. Four of those recommend the horizontal approach. Two of them sent me a reference to a study and if you would like that forwarded to you, you can let me know your email.

It has been frustrating because prior to the procedure -- my vision was perfectly fine. Now, I have to deal with this problem. So I want to do everything in my power to understand and be educated on what the best approach for my left eye. I know that though my vision was perfectly fine and now it is messed up --- that I am a ticking bomb waiting to go off -- and could easily develop acute angle closure glaucoma and be in an eye emergency in short order.

Hope this information is helpful somehow.

Sharon

Thank you Sharon for this incredible information, not only from your experience, but also sharing the research you did for yourself. I commend your thoroughness and your advocating for your health.
Could you post the name and author of the study so that others can look it up? Alternatively, you should be able to upload the PDF file here on Connect. Here's how:

1. Click VIEW & REPLY in the email notice, which will take you to the Connect website and exact discussion thread.
2. Click REPLY.
3. Click "Add media" above the message window.
4. Choose file.
5. Write you message.
6. Click POST REPLY.

Because I have narrow angles.

Thank you Sharon for sharing your experience, it was very enlighten, Although I am scheduled in less than a week to have the procedure done I still have not fully made up my mind to go forward. Although it was comforting to here that there was minimal pain I am mostly concerned about the complications after the procedure you mentioned as well as further surgeries. I do know if I do not have the procedure I will be facing problems as well. Stuck on not knowing what to do. Thanks again

In my case, I feel like the risk of the procedure is less than the risk of having an eye emergency with acute angle closure glaucoma -- especially in light of the fact that I have had such a rapid change in the closure over a four month period. It isn't an easy decision though because likely right now (like me) your vision is fine. It is disheartening to have "perfect" vision before the procedure and then this problem with the dysphotopsia after. [I live two hours away from my ophthalmologist -- so scary to think of experiencing acute angle closure glaucoma -- with only a short time to save my vision.]

Did your doctor give you a time frame in which you should have the iridotomy done? Mine said within 6 to 9 weeks. He was really surprised in September when he checked me with gonioscopy. He said that in May, he thought to himself that I wouldn't need any intervention for maybe up to two years. So I don't know why my eyes changed suddenly, but they did.

One other thing I was going to mention is that -- because my angles are so narrow- - I can no longer have a dilated eye exam until the peripheral iridotomy is complete. Dilation of the eye could push the iris and totally occlude the angle - putting my right into acute angle closure glaucoma. As I await my left eye procedure, I've been careful to avoid any cold medicines (not that I usually take them anyway) or anything that will tend to dilate my eye -- as much as possible.

I had this done 5 years ago. It was one of the most painful thing I’ve endured.
I have had non stop eye pain ever since. I complained right after, weeks after, a couple years ago and again this week.
They are finally sending me to have it looked at. Not to mention the holes are completely closed now so they are recommending I have it done again!
Not sure that will happen until they figure out why I have such excruciating pain in my eyes now.

I have had Yag Laser on my 2 eyes. Afterward I felt that something was wrong.
I could not focus, had tears, and they feel not perfect.
I failed to tell opthamologist that I had a BB in my temple on the head.
Generally I was told not to ever have an MRI.
I did not think that would affect my vision after the Yag procedure.
I did see a new opthamologist but did not tell him about the BB in temple.
I think I should have told him about this BB.
Now I am feeling after affects in both eyes.
Any advice from someone else?

i’ve had two of those procedures—-PAINLESSLY. After the first, i had an ocular migraine for 24–48 hours. After the second, i was given preservative free steroid eye drops —and had no problems, My vision improved almost immediately after each procedure