[Prevention, in the contralateral eye, of a giant tear ablation]

In this paper the authors report on 11 patients with giant tear detachment, whose fellow eyes were prophylactically treated with cryopexy or laser coagulation. The patients were followed up for between 4 and 12 years. The prophylactic lesions were located radially or circumferentially (circumscribed or extending through 180 degrees). In 4 out of 11 patients new tears developed during the follow-up period. The tears occurred between 1 month and 7 1/2 years after prophylactic treatment. In one of these cases a giant tear (90 degrees) developed in spite of prophylaxis: this was a case in which the coagulations extended circumferentially for 180 degrees; the new tear originated posteriorly to the scars. In contrast to this only multiple small horseshoe tears were observed in the other 3 patients: in these cases the prophylactic lesions were arranged radially or were circumferential and circumscribed. Some of these horseshoe tears were still attached and were treated with cryopexy or laser coagulation; others were already detached, reattachment was achieved by cryopexy and radial buckling of the tears.