Preliminary report on effect of retinal panphotocoagulation on rubeosis iridis and neovascular glaucoma LEILA

Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with capillary non-perfusion predisposes to retinal neovascularisation and rubeosis iridis (Laatikainen and Kohner, 1976). Studies on diabetic retinopathy suggest that destroying large areas of hypoxic retina or reducing its metabolic demands prevents neovascularisation and may cause retinal vessels to regress (Taylor, 1970). It was therefore decided to try this therapy in cases of retinal capillary non-perfusion and iris neovascularisation to see whether it would prevent neovascularisation or make it regress. Rubeosis iridis may be associated with various eye diseases (Schulze, 1967), but the two most important causes of iris neovascularisation are diabetes and CRVO. In many cases rubeosis results in peripheral anterior synechiae and thrombotic or neovascular glaucoma. A follow-up study on CRVO showed that neovascular glaucoma appeared only in eyes with extensive retinal capillary non-perfusion, and in these eyes it was a common complication (Laatikainen and Kohner, 1976). There is no known prophylactic treatment for rubeosis iridis, and neovascular glaucoma is often very resistant to any form of therapy. Obliteration of optic disc neovascularisation may occur after extensive photocoagulation of the hypoxic retina both in diabetes (Taylor, 1970) and after retinal branch vein occlusion (Kohner and Shilling, 1976). This paper is a preliminary report of the effect of