Hi all,
I am a glaucoma suspect and on the list for LI. I need to make a decision whether or not to go ahead with this procedure.
I was wondering if anyone (suspect) had it and what was the difference you felt post-procedure. I am suffering from dry eye and dull and occasional sharp pain at the moment but I have no pressure and damage in my nerves.
Thanks
Bataa
I had the procedure about 8 or 9 years ago. It wasn't painful but did take a long time.I found that it didn't make my eyes feel worse.
Unfortunately it didn't help my eye pressures at all so had to have increased drops. Have since had operations and have been very stable for 2 to 3 years now.
Good morning. If you are a glaucoma suspect due to have LI (laser iridotomy) then it sounds like you have narrow angles. Narrow angles is a bit like a pre-cursor to glaucoma which is why they have said you are a glaucoma suspect. The LI aims to open the drainage angles to hopefully stop or delay any damage occurring to the optic nerve.
If you do not have the treatment then it could eventually cause a sudden increase in pressures which might need emergency treatment anyway. The LI is a very safe, low risk and non-invasive treatment. Hopefully others on this forum can comment on their own experiences too for your reassurance.
If you would like to speak to one of us on the helpline at Glaucoma UK then please call us on 01233 648170 or email helpline@glaucoma.uk, and we would be more than happy to talk things through with you.
Thank you for your response. I will ring the helpline. Yes, I have narrow angles and am short-sighted in my left eye. I wonder if some people go for a cataract instead of LI. Another thing is do your eyes get watery with the LI? What are the side effects?
Hi,I have narrow drainage angles which causes my pressures to be too high ( no glaucoma) I had iridotomy about 18 months which helped with the drainage a little bit but pressure did not come down enough so I've been on drops.Four weeks ago I had cataract surgery and it has brought pressure down quite a bit so I'm hoping I will soon be able to stop the drops.
Thank you for your reply. May I ask how high was your pressure before LI? I was told my angle is 2.5 at the moment and pressure is within the range of 15-19. I was wondering if it is beneficial for me to bypass LI (or wait) and have cataract surgery.
Hi ,My pressures had been between 19& 21 which is borderline for more than 30 years then a routine eye check 2 years ago it had gone up to 30. I was referred urgently to hospital where l had an iridotomy about 2 weeks later.Consultant said as my angles were very narrow and I already had the beginnings of cataracts it would be a good idea for me to have surgery as the cataracts were starting to make the angles even more narrow.
Thank you!
Like Astilbe I had the procedure done 15 years ago for high eye pressure with narrow angles. It was a completely painless quick procedure - in fact it was done at a routine eye appointment without any advance warning! There were no after effects that I noticed apart from the fact that it successfully reduced my pressures. Unfortunately for me it was a temporary fix and I have had a cataract removal and a trabulectomy on one eye since. I am now using drops. I wouldn’t hesitate to have LI done again as for me it was far less invasive than either of the other procedures I have had.
Hi. I had an Laser Iridotomy 7 months ago. My pressures were 40 and 38 due to narrow angles but no vision impairment. I'm 50. The procedure itself was relatively stress free and very routine apart from having to have it repeated in my right eye after 8 weeks as it had not been successful. Side effects; I have been left with my left eye being a lot more light sensitive. I was told by my consultant that this is due to there being an extra hole where light can enter the eye. When I'm in bright sun light, I have glares of light in my vision but it has got a lot better over the last few months so perhaps my brain is learning to adjust. Not sure. The procedure didn't have any effect on my pressures so I'm now in the process of trying to find an eye drop that works or I may have an SLT or cataract op. I hope you get on okay.
I had this light effect for a while afterwards. I was told you eventually get used to it, but for me it practically disappeared. I realised that the drops I was on caused my eye lids to swell slightly resulting in more of my iris being exposed, and light entering the iridotomy hole. After a while off drops things settled down and my vision improved. I can recreate the effect simply by lifting my eyelid slightly with my finger.
Thank you for replying to my comment. That’s really encouraging to know that it may almost go completely. I, likewise, have had eye lid swelling on Tiopex but I’m on them until my next appointment. The first drops I tried, Latanaprost, didn’t make a sufficient difference so it’s a trial and error process to see if something works currently. Thanks again. This forum is so useful. 😃
I've had real issues with pretty much every class of glaucoma drops, to the point that I felt like I was making up excuses to the consultants. I was even asking myself how I could be reacting so badly to different types of medicine (and the bad reactions were always the same). Eventually my glaucoma was brought under control with surgery.
Be vigilant with discussions about the drops and don't be worried about saying if you are not happy with them - you shouldn't have to put up with swollen eyelids, which of itself could lead to other issues down the way.
Hi, I had laser irididiotomy as an emergency in January 2023 I had no idea that my eye pressure was high until I had a terrible pain in my left eye and it was extremely bloodshot I went to the walk in centre who sent me to optician who sent me straight to eye casualty. The LI was done there and then, so quickly and painless. 2 months later I had cataracts r
sorry don’t know what happened there. Cataracts were removed and my eye pressures have been fine currently 10 & 11 yes I do get dry eyes due to Sjorns syndrome but use drops every day.
HiI'm interested in this discussion as I too have been put forward for a laser iridiotomy in April and wondering why I've not been offered cataract surgery as I feel this would help me more.
I have primary open angle glaucoma and plateau iris configuration in my right eye and most recent IOP is 24. I also have bilateral cataracts and raised pressure in the left eye but no damage there yet. There's also a note on my post appointment letter to say that close relatives should be screened for angle closure.
I play a lot of racket sports where hand-eye coordination is very important. I wear reading glasses, screen glasses and glasses for the television - all different strengths. Have experimented with contact lenses for sport but have found them very difficult to get on with. Have also experimented with glasses which is better but the frames are very distracting. So I feel that cataract surgery could be a more useful option for me than iridiotomy especially as the results seem so variable.
I wonder whether anyone has any other thoughts?
had it and forgot all about it. Not sure if it made much difference to me. No side effects and it’s a simple procedure for me. Just a lazer .
hi fellow sufferer I had this procedure many moons ago but I was still symptomatic afterwards. My glaucoma journey has not been a pleasant one however. Less of that and back to your original subject. I would suggest sunglasses afterwards as I was very sensitive to light and had a bad headache it went away within hours after a nap and tablets. The procedure was quite painless and nothing like I expected. The sensation was that of a popping spot that sensation when it finally pops . Hope this helps xx
I would thoroughly recommend it. I had no problems at all after it and it is a painless procedure it’s all over very quickly. I still have dry eyes though and use Hylo drops daily several times. My Dr gives them to me on prescription. Hope this helps.
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