Management of postoperative and post-traumatic cyclodialysis clefts with argon laser photocoagulation

Cyclodialysis clefts, which occur following cataract extraction or ocular trauma, occasionally lead to chronic hypotony and loss of vision in the involved eye. In the past, this complication of trauma and surgery has been managed by additional surgical procedures designed to close the cyclodialysis cleft. This report will describe the first patient treated with Argon laser photocoagulation with successful physiologic closure of the cleft with subsequent restoration of both normal intraocular pressure and normal vision. The method of treatment and speculations about the mechanism of cleft closure are discussed.