Argon peripheral iridotomy and cataract formation.

The records of 74 patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma were reviewed. Cataract formation in 103 eyes treated with argon laser were compared with eyes in an age- and sex-matched, randomly-selected control group to determine whether cataract formation was hastened by laser iridotomy. Twenty-three percent of eyes in the study group showed development of cataracts 29.9 months after laser treatment. This did not differ from the incidence of cataract formation (20%) in the same group before laser exposure (P = .357) and was significantly lower than the 49% incidence of cataracts observed in the age-matched control group (P less than .001). These data demonstrate the safety of laser iridotomy in the treatment of narrow-angle glaucoma.