CILIARY BODY AND CHOROIDAL DETACHMENT AFTER LASER PHOTOCOAGULATION FOR DIABETIC-RETINOPATHY - A HIGH-FREQUENCY ULTRASOUND STUDY

Objective: The purpose of the study is to clarify the manifestation of the ciliary body after retinal photocoagulation for diabetic retinopa thy. Design: Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was applied to obtain the tomographic features of the anterior ocular segment. Participants: Twe nty-one eyes of 17 consecutive patients with diabetic retinopathy were included in this study. Intervention: These eyes were treated by panr etinal photocoagulation divided in four sessions. In the first session , the nasal quadrant of the fundus was treated with argon or dye (590 nm) laser totaling 208 to 331 spots per eye. Main Outcome Measures: Th e eyes were examined by UBM before, immediately after, 3, and 7 days a fter the first session of photocoagulation. Results: Three days after photocoagulation, ciliochoroidal detachment was observed in 19 eyes (9 0%). The detachment was present along the whole circumference. The cil iary detachment was most prominent in the pars plana in 19 eyes and ex tended to the pars plicata in 9 eyes. It spontaneously had disappeared 7 days after photocoagulation. Conclusions: Ciliochoroidal detachment was a very frequent feature after sector photocoagulation in diabetic eyes. Although this complication was asymptomatic and transient so fa r, this potential hazard merits due attention in the planning of panre tinal photocoagulation in diabetic eyes.