Nd:YAG laser for Ahmed tube shunt occlusion by the posterior capsule

The authors describe the case of a 60-year-old aphakic woman who had suffered from glaucoma with uncontrolled intraocular pressure. She was treated by Ahmed tube shunt implantation. On the first postoperative day, the intraocular pressure was unacceptably high and the tip of the implant tube was seen to be embedded in a fold of the posterior capsule, with its opening covered by the posterior capsule. The authors used the Nd:YAG laser to cut open the fold of the posterior capsule that was covering the tip of the tube, thereby restoring the intraocular pressure to normal. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a tube shunt occlusion by the posterior capsule resolved by the Nd:YAG laser.