Ophthalmic Surg 1993 Aug;24(8):526-9

King Fahad Hospital at Al-Baha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

We used transscleral Neodymium:YAG laser cyclophotocoagulation (TSYLCC) to treat 47 patients (47 eyes) with end-stage, refractory, or absolute glaucoma. The mean pretreatment intraocular pressure (IOP), 40.5 +/- 10.8 mm Hg, decreased a mean of 13 +/- 8 months following treatment to 15.6 +/- 10.6 mm Hg, a statistically significant change (P < .05). Our overall rate of success (final IOP < or = 25 mm Hg, with or without medications) was 79% (37 eyes). Early complications included pain (11 eyes) and inflammation (13 eyes); late complications included hypotony (7 eyes), high IOP (5 eyes), and decreased visual acuity (4 eyes). TSYLCC seems to be a safe, effective, and convenient outpatient procedure.

J Glaucoma 2001 Aug;10(4):294-301

Department of General Ophthalmology, University Eye Clinic, Tübingen, Germany.

Background: This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation in refractory, advanced glaucoma.

Patients And Methods: One hundred eyes of 100 patients with advanced glaucoma refractory to medical treatment were consecutively treated by transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation. Success was defined as a final intraocular pressure between 5 and 21 mm Hg in eyes with a visual acuity of more than hard movements, relief of pain in eyes with a visual acuity of hand movements or less including blind eyes, and reduction of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor use in all eyes. Read More

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 1997 Oct;211(4):250-6

Abteilung I: Allgemeine Augenheilkunde mit Poliklinik, Universitäts-Augenklinik Tübingen.

Background: It has been suggested that Nd:YAG laser cyclophotocoagulation significantly lowers the intraocular pressure in refractory glaucoma. However, only limited information is currently available concerning the cyclodestructive effects of diode laser cyclophotocoagulation.

Patients And Methods: Twenty eyes of 17 patients had undergone diode laser cyclophotocoagulation if previous glaucoma surgery including cyclocryocoagulation was unsuccessful or the patients were blind. Read More

Aust N Z J Ophthalmol 1998 May;26(2):135-9

Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Ciliary body ablation in end-stage glaucoma has been widely performed with cryotherapy and neodymium:yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, both techniques frequently involving considerable pain and postoperative inflammation, with an unpredictable final intraocular pressure (IOP) and a significant risk of phthisis. Diode laser cyclophotocoagulation (cyclodiode laser) has recently been introduced in an attempt to avoid some of these problems.

Methods: Thirty patients with uncontrolled IOP and advanced glaucoma were divided on clinical grounds into two groups and were treated with either a half or a full standardized dose of laser (40 x 1500 mW for 1500 ms) and monitored for IOP control, visual acuity, postoperative inflammation and phthisis. Read More

Ann Acad Med Singapore 1994 Jan;23(1):18-20

Singapore National Eye Centre.

Contact transscleral cyclophotocoagulation is a form of cyclodestructive procedure, which is effective in the lowering of intraocular pressure in eyes with refractory glaucoma by destroying the aqueous humor-producing ciliary processes. Continuous wave Nd:YAG (Neodymium: Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet) laser is used in the cyclodestruction, the laser energy being delivered to the target tissues transsclerally via a fibre-optic probe. We used the Lasag microruptor III Nd:YAG laser to treat 16 cases of refractory glaucoma to evaluate the effectiveness of laser in pain relief and intraocular pressure control. Read More