What happens if the laser treatment does not work?
If after the initial laser surgery there is persistence or additional CNV, further laser treatment may be possible. If the CNV has grown too large or involve the central fovea, additional laser treatment may not be helpful. In patients with wet AMD in one eye, it is very important to monitor the vision and the macula in the other eye also.
The biggest concern, if the ROP laser treatments do not work to halt the scar tissue growth, is the development of retinal detachment. Often, only part of the retina detaches. If only the peripheral retina detaches, no further treatments should be performed, since these peripheral detachments may remain the same or go away without treatment. If the center part of the retina or the entire retina detaches, then surgery is recommended to try to reattach the retina. This surgery involves removing the scar tissue inside the eye to help the retina to reattach. Surgery is not recommended for distortion of the retina or for scar tissue that is not causing a detachment affecting the central vision. These cases are referred to as Stage 4A if the macula is not detached. Cases in which the center of the retina becomes detached are referred to as Stage 4B. Many Stage 4B cases have a thin fold through the macula and do not need surgery. Some Stage 4B cases that do not have a thin fold through the ma
