title: Noncontact thermal mode Nd:YAG laser transscleral cyclocoagulation in the treatment of glaucoma. Intermediate follow-up.
abstract: Noncontact transscleral Nd:YAG laser thermal mode cyclocoagulation is known to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP). Thirty-five eyes were treated at a mean of 2.5 Joules and followed for a mean of 28 months. The mean preoperative IOP of 39.8 mmHg (standard deviation, 11.7) was consistently decreased by 45% to 55% over the follow-up period (standard deviation, 19.9 to 30.8), along with a significant reduction of medical therapy. This effect is comparable with that obtained by investigators using much higher energy levels. Successful control was defined as IOP between 5 and 21 mmHg for eyes with visual acuity of counting fingers or better, between 5 and 25 mmHg for eyes with hand motions to light perception, and as control of ocular pain for eyes with no light perception; 71% to 75% of the eyes were successfully controlled for up to 3 years. The use of lower energy levels appears to be associated with a lower incidence of vision loss and, therefore, merits further controlled investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balazsi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008028:Light Coagulation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012590:Sclera / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions