(fōt‵ō-kō-ag‵yŭ-lā'shŏn )

[photo- + coagulation]

The use of intense light or laser to burn or destroy tissue under direct observation; used for treatment of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. SYN: scatter photocoagulation.

grid laser p.

Variant: laser grid photocoagulation

A treatment for macular edema in which tiny burns are made in the pigment epithelium of the macula of the eye, while taking care to avoid the fovea. The burns are made with a laser along precise vertical and horizontal lines.

panretinal p.

ABBR: PRP

The use of high-intensity light or laser to create hundreds of tiny retinal burns outside of the vascular arcades. This treatment has been shown to produce regression of abnormal blood vessels in patients with proliferative retinopathy from diabetes or retinal vein occlusion.

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Although PRP can arrest the progression of retinal diseases, it can also contribute to immediate iatrogenic visual loss.

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SYN: scatter photocoagulation.

scatter p.1Photocoagulation.2Panretinal photocoagulation.