Long-term results of the management of silicone oil-induced raised intraocular pressure by diode laser cycloablation.

AIMS/

BACKGROUND

To analyse the effectiveness and safety of cyclodiode treatment in eyes with silicone oil-related raised intraocular pressure (IOP) and to correlate the results with clinical features of treated eyes.

METHODS

Retrospective review of case notes of all eyes that underwent cyclodiode treatment following injection of silicone oil at Moorfields Eye Hospital between April 1993 and January 2003 and were followed up for at least 1 year.

RESULTS

In all, 38 patients were followed up for between 13 and 113 months. Totally, 17 had silicone oil in situ at the time of first treatment. The mean pretreatment IOP was 31.4 mmHg (SD 10.9), reducing to 18.6 mmHg (SD 8.6) at 1 year and to 13.9 mmHg (SD 8.4) at the final follow-up visit (P<0.001). Before treatment, 28 (73.7%) patients were on two or more topical medications. This was reduced to 18 (47.4%) patients (P=0.013) at 1 year and 13 (34.2%) patients (P=0.0007) at final follow-up. Use of oral acetazolamide for glaucoma was reduced from 16 (42.1%) patients precyclodiode to five (13.2%) patients at 1 year (P=0.0034) and three (7.9%) patients at the final visit (P=0.001). Four patients (10.5%) at 1 year and five patients (13.2%) at the final visit had hypotony (defined as IOP of less than 5 mmHg). One patient had enucleation 75 months following first cyclodiode treatment.

CONCLUSION

Diode laser photocoagulation can successfully control silicone oil-induced raised intraocular pressure where medical treatment fails. Reduction of IOP appears to be maintained long term.