[Retinal laser treatment-avoiding mistakes]

Abstract

Even in the era of intravitreal injection therapy (intravitreal operative injection of medication, IVOM) for the treatment of macular and retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) as well as proliferative stages and/or macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO), conventional retinal laser treatment is still of importance. It can be focally performed on an on-label basis for DME and macular edema due to branch RVO (BRVO) and its use as panretinal treatment for proliferative stages in retinal diseases as well as for the treatment of retinal holes is undisputed. The spectrum is extended by the treatment of less common diseases, such as retinal hemangioblastoma, macroaneurysms and subhyaloid macular hemorrhage. There is cause for concern that knowledge about the correct performance of retinal laser application might be shifted into the background due to an increase of IVOM treatment, which could lead to an increase in unnecessary errors. The aim of this manuscript is to increase awareness for the correct indications and execution of retinal laser treatment based on case examples of flawed or insufficient treatment.

Keywords: Horseshoe foramen; Laser photocoagulation; Laser retinopexy; Macular hemorrhage; Retinal detachment.