Topical glycerine for corneal clouding during retinal laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity.

Aim: To document the use of topical glycerine to reduce corneal edema in cases of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) undergoing laser photocoagulation (PHC).

Methods: Thirty-two eyes of 16 babies (9 males) with a mean gestational age of 30 weeks, mean gestational weight of 1242 grams underwent PHC for Type 1 (zone 1 disease) retinopathy of prematurity. All babies received a single PHC session. Twenty eyes of 10 babies received intravitreal anti-VEGF injection, 1-3 weeks before PHC session. All patients received a single drop of glycerine during the PHC session to clear the corneal clouding. All patients underwent PHC to the avascular area right up to the ora serrata. Patients were seen at one week and one month to assess the adequacy of laser PHC.

Results: We were able to complete the PHC for all babies in a single session without any ocular or systemic adverse events. We did not find any skip lesions at follow-up, and the second session of laser PHC was not required in any eyes.

Conclusion: Topical glycerine is safe and effective to clear corneal clouding in eyes undergoing laser PHC for retinopathy of prematurity.