Purpose: To report two Japanese cases of pigmentary glaucoma (PG) treated with laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) that were followed for 15 and 16 years, respectively.
Methods: The medical records of two patients with PG who were successfully treated with LPI were reviewed. Changes in the intraocular pressure (IOP) were followed.
Results: Case 1 was that of a 35-year-old man with LPI who underwent argon laser trabeculoplasty twice. He required ocular hypotensive drugs to maintain the IOP at normal levels. Case 2 involved a 36-year-old man with LPI who required ocular hypotensive drugs to maintain his IOP at the low-teen level. The IOP of both patients was unstable during the first 6-8 years following the LPI, but showed a decrease at each annual follow-up examination up to the age of 50 years.
Conclusions: Although only two cases were followed, we conclude that the long-term effects of LPI may play a role, at least partly, in stabilizing the IOP at the low-teen level. Both patients were relatively young at the time of the LPI, and age may have been a factor in the stabilization process. Our findings confirm similar findings in Western countries.