The combined use of apraclonidine and pilocarpine during laser iridotomy in a Hispanic population.

Early postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) rise is a frequent and vision-threatening complication of laser surgery for glaucoma. Recent studies show that apraclonidine, a new alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, can reduce the incidence of this problem. In a randomized, double-masked prospective study, we explored the efficacy of apraclonidine combined with pilocarpine during laser iridotomy in a Hispanic population. A significantly lower early postoperative IOP with less frequent severe pressure spikes occurred in the apraclonidine-treated patients. The addition of pilocarpine did not interfere with the beneficial effect of this medication. Of particular interest was the fact that chronic angle-closure glaucoma was the diagnosis in all patients who had a significant postoperative IOP rise in this study.