Non-invasive monitoring of cyclodialysis cleft using anterior segment optical coherence tomography and its role in informing clinical treatment decisions

PURPOSE: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) is an emerging imaging modality with an expanding role in glaucoma diagnosis and management. We present a series of two cases of iatrogenic cyclodialysis cleft and their conservative management being directly informed by non-invasive AS-OCT monitoring. OBSERVATIONS: Retrospective case series. A 51 year-old male and a 29 year-old male each underwent gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy for uncontrolled glaucoma with a cyclodialysis cleft being diagnosed postoperatively and then monitored using serial AS-OCT images. In both cases, conservative medical management was initially employed. Worsening hypotony maculopathy and decreasing best corrected visual acuity were evident in both cases at times when gonioscopy yielded inadequate visualization to meaningfully inform treatment decisions. Escalation to more invasive therapies was therefore considered. AS-OCT imaging revealed consistent anatomical improvement at each follow-up and ultimately both clefts closed without treatment escalation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: AS-OCT played a critical role in the diagnosis and directly informed the conservative management of both of these cases. This non-invasive imaging modality may allow for deferral of invasive treatment escalation in some cases of cyclodialysis cleft.