Carbon dioxide laser scleral dissection and filtering procedure for glaucoma.

A comparison of eye bank eyes using continuous wave or rapid superpulsed carbon dioxide laser energy indicated that rapid superpulsed was the superior modality for scleral dissection, because there is less charring and puckering of tissue. The results of filtering procedures in five glaucomatous eyes by using rapid superpulsed carbon dioxide energy to perform the scleral dissection revealed the possible advantages of performing the procedure this way might be: (1) the technical ease by which the microdissection is performed under direct microscopic observation with the absence of blood or instruments in the field; (2) the safety factor of never having penetrated into the anterior chamber with a sharp instrument; (3) the possible advantage of the inhibition of healing at the wound margin because of coagulation of tissue at the wound edge by the laser beam; and (4) the bacteriocidal effect of thermal cutting.