Laser Photocoagulation Laser Photocoagulation Nowhere in medicine has laser technology been more beneficial to patients than in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.
Lasers produce a light unique in nature.
The light is of specific wavelengths and the light waves vibrate together without interference. This light can be microscopically focused, allowing for precise control in treatment. Patients who need laser surgery are seated at a slit-lamp, just as during an examination, and the beam of laser light is focused through a special contact lens held on the patient's eye by the treating ophthalmologist. Both diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy are treated by laser photocoagulation. While the machine used is the same, the type of treatment, risks and benefits are quite different.