SUMMARY
The authors analyze the effects of peripheral iridectomy in patients with pigmentary glaucoma. Two studies were designed: the first, retrospective, compared patients with bilateral pigmentary glaucoma, in whom peripheral iridectomy had been performed in only one eye. The second, a prospective study, compared eyes that had undergone iridectomy to randomly selected control eyes of patients with pigmentary glaucoma. The retrospective study showed that the iridectomy changed the configuration of the midperipheral iris, and reduced the pigmentation of the trabecular meshwork and the Krukenberg spindle. The prospective study, using a computerized method of analyzing the anterior segment, demonstrated that the iridectomy shallowed the angle. For the first time, we showed that peripheral iridectomies may change the angle configuration and, at the same lime, may decrease the pigment dispersion. Further research is required to determine the effects on intraocular pressure and progression of optic nerve damage.