Photocoagulation of the iris using direct sunlight.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the possibility of photocoagulation of the iris with simple and inexpensive equipment ifmore sophisticated apparatus is not available. In the Department of Ophthalmology at Mulago Hospital, Kampala, the teaching hospital of Makerere University College Medical School, we have used the principle of the original Meyer-Schwickerath light-coagulator (Meyer-Schwickerath, I950, i960). This method depends on the availability of uninterrupted bright sunlight. Other requirements are a strong spherical lens of +I5 to +20 dioptres, about 38 mm. in diameter, normal saline, and a lid speculum. The operation is carried out under retrobulbar anaesthesia.