Transpupillary photocoagulation of the ciliary processes

We used transpupillary argon laser to photocoagulate the ciliary processes in 7 eyes of 6 patients in an attempt to reduce intraocular pressure. Only one patient showed a decrease in intraocular pressure to a normal level. This patient was the only one in this series in whom large numbers of ciliary processes could be coagulated. The limiting factor in effective transpupillary argon laser photocoagulation may, therefore, be the total number of ciliary processes visualized and treated.