[Prophylactic treatment of aphakic retinal detachment by argon laser photocoagulation. Study on 600 cases (author's...

Aphakic retinal detachment must nowadays be considered as a specific entity among retinal detachments. In the light of statistics, phakcoextraction cannot any longer be conceived as a simple operation, and the aphakic patient as a normal subject. Aphakia might even be classified as a real disease (aphakosis), as a number of vitreoretinal disorders seem to be specific of this condition. The authors studied 600 aphakic eyes, of which 300 were prophylactically treated by circumferentia, equatorial argon laser photocoagulation. Of the 300 eyes subjected to argon laser photocoagulation, only 1 exhibited retinal detachment (0.33%) versus 6 (2%) in the other group. These results are similar to those obtained by others with different preventive techniques; but the undeniable advantages of argon laser photocoagulation makes the most suitable method for the prophylactic treatment of aphakic retinal detachment.