ABSTRACT
Successful repair of retinal detachment is achieved by closure of retinal breaks with a scleral buckle or gas tamponade and creation of a chorioretinal adhesion, or retinopexy, to seal the breaks. The chorioretinal adhesion obtained with the diode laser has been shown to be clinically and hisologically similar to that produced with cryotherapy, and with similar adhesive properties. Transscleral diode laser retinopexy is used to produce a chorioretinal adhesion around a retinal break or breaks. It serves as a safe and effective means of creating a chorioretinal adhesion during retinal reattachment surgery. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that, in contrast to other modalities for retinopexy, transscleral diode laser retinopexy may be associated with fewer side-effects. The treatment effect observed is retinal whitening, analogous to that seen with laser photocoagulation or diathermy but with a lighter, almost gray endpoint.
