SYMPATHETIC OPHTHALMIA FOLLOWING LASER CYCLOCOAGULATION

We describe a 49-year-old white man with sympathetic ophthalmia follow ing contact neodymium-YAG laser cyclotherapy. There was no invasive su rgery, and no perforating injuries preceded cyclodestructive therapy. The eye had hemorrhagic secondary glaucoma due to Coats' disease. It w as treated three times with contact cyclophotocoagulation after cycloc ryotherapy failed to lower intraocular pressure. Subsequently, the int raocular pressure slowly decreased and the eye became phthisical 15 mo nths after the last surgery. Intraocular inflammation developed in the fellow eye and sympathetic ophthalmia was suspected. Histologic and i mmunohistologic study of the enucleated blind eye confirmed this diagn osis.