[Contact cyclophotocoagulation with the continuous wave Nd:YAG laser with quartz fiber. Optimizing coagulation...

Transscleral cyclo-photocoagulation with a cw-Nd:YAG-laser was studied in enucleated porcine eyes with application times of between 10 ms and 1.5 s. Contact coagulation via a quartz fiber (core 600 microns) required about 32% less power to create visible ciliary body coagulation compared to non-contact coagulation via a focusing handpiece. Application of focusing fiber tips led to a further reduction in the coagulation threshold by a factor of 0.6. The energy per laser application required for ciliary body coagulation increased with application time. During contact coagulation using plane fiber tips a pronounced temperature rise was sometimes observed at the fiber tip due to deposits of carbonized tissue with the subsequent risk of scleral damage. In a pilot study five eyes with secondary glaucoma were treated under coagulation conditions found to be optimal (8 W at 0.2 s).