What are the treatments for Coats disease ?
How might Coats disease be treated? The treatment of Coats disease depends on the signs and symptoms present in each person. Treatment is usually directed towards destroying affected blood vessels in the retina and salvaging as much vision as possible. A procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy abnormal blood vessels (cryotherapy), and/or a procedure that uses laser energy to heat and destroy abnormal tissue (photocoagulation) are often used singly or in combination. These procedures are typically used during the early stages of the disease along with steroids and other medications to control inflammation and leaking from blood vessels. More advanced cases may require surgical treatment. For example, surgery to reattach the retina may be necessary in cases of retinal detachment. Draining or surgically removing the fluids that fill the eyeball between the lens and the retina (vitrectomy) may also be used to treat Coats disease when retinal detachment is present.