photocoagulation

[foh-toh-koh-ag-yuh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. a surgical technique using an intense beam of light from a laser or a xenon-arc bulb to seal blood vessels or coagulate tissue, used primarily in ophthalmology to repair detached retinas or to treat certain kinds of retinopathy.

Other Word Forms

• photocoagulative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of photocoagulation¹

1960–65; photo- + coagulation ( def. )

Example Sentences

They were randomly assigned to receive Eylea or macular laser photocoagulation, a laser treatment that burns small areas of the retina.

Read more on US News

Eylea treatment was compared with laser photocoagulation, a type of laser surgery in which leaky blood vessels in the eye are cauterized to stop the leakage that leads to vision loss.

Read more on Reuters