COMBINED TRANSSCLERAL DIODE-LASER CYCLOPHOTOCOAGULATION AND TRANSSCLERAL RETINAL PHOTOCOAGULATION FOR REFRACTORY NEOVASCULAR GLAUCOMA

Neovascular glaucoma is a devastating ocular disease with a poor long- term visual prognosis. Recent studies with drainage implants and 5-flu orouracil filtering surgery have shown a high rate of long-term failur e of these surgical procedures in patients with neovascular glaucoma. Preoperative panretinal photocoagulation is known to increase the rate of surgical success by arresting the stimulus for new vessel growth. However, the ability to administer adequate retinal laser treatment ma y be limited by ocular conditions such as poor pupillary dilation, cor neal edema, cataract, or vitreous hemorrhage. We report herein our exp erience with combined transscleral diode laser ablation of the ciliary body and retina for refractory neovascular glaucoma. In the two patie nts described, transpupillary panretinal photocoagulation was limited by ocular media opacities.