[Histopathological study on the pars plicata of cynomolgus monkey by the CW Nd:YAG laser]

The pars plicata of cynomolgus monkey eyes were coagulated by a continuous wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser contact system. the intraocular pressure and histopathological changes were observed during the following 3 months. the intraocular pressure decreased during the first week to a minimum level and returned gradually to the pre-coagulation level within 1-3 months. Immediately after photocoagulation, both pigment and non-pigmented epithelium of pars plicata were destroyed. Three weeks after the coagulation nonpigmented epithelium and capillaries showed regeneration. Three months after coagulation, the proliferation of non-pigmented epithelium was conspicuous and regenerating pigment epithelium was observed around the merging of the burned lesion. The CW-Nd:YAG laser contact photocoagulation induced localized destruction of ciliary processes. The regeneration of epithelium and capillaries might indicate that the function of ciliary body could recover to a certain extent and it may be comparatively easy to control the degree of coagulation. These findings suggest that it might be possible to apply CW-Nd:YAG laser photocoagulation to various types of glaucoma.