Combined surgical procedure for the prevention of blindness caused by progressive high myopia.

A combined prophylactic procedure consisting of the strengthening of the sclera by fascia lata implants and the laser photocoagulation of peripheral retinal degenerations has been developed for the prevention of blindness caused by progressive high myopia. More than 7 years of experience gained with over 400 patients showed that none of the treated eyes developed retinal detachment or other severe complications of high myopia. Moreover, the degree of myopia decreased by a mean value of 3.0 D in 90%, and the visual acuity improved by a mean value of 0.15 in 70% of the patients treated. The authors suggest that their combined prophylactic procedure should be tried out and introduced to general ophthalmological practice.