Because vision loss in most forms of glaucoma is related to elevated IOP, most glaucoma treatment protocols are concerned with lowering IOP by increasing aqueous humor outflow. The invention utilizes electromagnetic radiation to create retraction in the iris tissue, thereby (a) reducing convexity and enlarging the drainage angle and thus the area of the anterior chamber, (b) reducing contact between the zonule fibers and the iris pigment epithelium, (c) applying greater tension to both the TM and uveoscleral outflow pathways, thereby enlarging those pathways and increasing outflow.