Cyclocryotherapy for glaucoma

CCT is a simple, noninvasive, short, ablative surgical procedure that has been effectively used to treat advanced uncontrolled glaucoma. A specific protocol is recommended and the rationale for strict adherence is presented. The long-term benefits of CCT in patients with open-angle glaucoma following cataract extraction have been well established. However, although patients with neovascular glaucoma may have adequate pressure control following CCT, the serious complications of progression to no light perception and phthisis bulbi have discouraged its use. CCT can be effective for neovascular glaucoma when other methods of surgical management prove unsuccessful and visual prognosis is very poor. The loss of functional vision occurred in fewer than 10 percent of eyes treated with CCT, and it is important to emphasize that only eyes with greatest risk and poorest prognosis were treated with this modality. CCT has become an important addition to the surgical armamentarium for the treatment of some specific types of glaucoma.