Seventy-nine adult patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were randomly assigned to treatment by modified trabeculotomy ab externo (TAB) (n = 44) and by trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin C (TMC) (n = 35), and the postoperative outcomes achieved with these two techniques were compared. With TAB, the probability of successful intraocular pressure control 1 year postoperatively was .8644; with TMC, .8432; the difference is not significant (P = .7956). However, postoperative complications such as corneal epithelial damage, bleb leaks, hypotony, flat anterior chamber, and serous choroidal detachment were significantly less frequent in the TAB group. Largely because of this latter consideration, in selected cases, TAB may be a viable alternative to TMC.

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We observed the influence of panretinal photocoagulation on the ERG c-wave in rabbit eyes. DC-registered ERGs were recorded from rabbit eyes before and after photocoagulation, and compared with those of the fellow eyes. The rabbits were subdivided into 3 groups according to application numbers: 500, 1000, and 1500 spots. The ERG c-waves were found to have totally disappeared in all rabbits 3 days after panretinal photocoagulation, then reappeared with various intervals. In the 500 spot group, the c-wave reappeared after one week, and almost reached control levels in one and a half months. In the 1000 spot group, a 10 day delay was noted, and 90% of control levels were regained after 6 months. In the 1500 spot group, the c-wave didn't reappear until 2 weeks later, and regained 70% (of the control level) after 6 months. The recovery rates were related to the number of laser applications. These results indicate that the ultimate degree of recovery in c-wave amplitude and the time required for the reestablishment of retinal pigment epithelium function both depend on the size of the coagulated area.

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