SECONDARY GLAUCOMA IN JUVENILE CHRONIC IRIDOCYCLITIS - IS THERE A ROLE FOR TRANSSCLERAL NEODYMIUM - YAG CYCLOPHOTOCOAGULATION

Glaucoma secondary to juvenile chronic iridocyclitis (JCI) is particul arly difficult to control because of the combination of inflammation, young age, and often aphakia. Conventional surgical techniques are dis appointing, and multiple previous procedures compound the difficulty o f achieving long-term filtration. Cyclocryotherapy has been used with only limited success, and significant complications occur. Transsclera l neodymium: yttrium aluminium garnet laser cyclophotocoagulation (TSY LC) has been shown to be effective in a number of other refractory gla ucomas. We retrospectively studied the effect of TSYLC on 12 eyes with uncontrolled glaucoma secondary to JCI. In the short-term, although 8 5% were controlled at two months, in the longer term, only 33% remaine d controlled at the end of the study. TSYLC appears to play a limited role in the management of glaucoma in JCI.