To the Editor.
—A recent article by Murray and Abrams1 in the May issue of the Archives was of special interest to me. It is obvious that the ingenious technique of iris suture fixation the authors describe would be of tremendous help to vitreoretinal surgeons. While the special needle, which is similar to a Simcoe suture needle, for this iris fixation technique may be purchased commercially, for some ophthalmic surgeons, especially in developing countries, the needle is not readily available. In such a situation, a simple hypodermic needle might replace the special needle: the suture could be threaded through the lumen of the hypodermic needle,2,3 instead of through the hole at the bevel, and the steps illustrated in Figs 2 and 3 could be followed subsequently to achieve the desired pupillary opening. One important precaution for using a hypodermic needle in this fashion is to make sure that