THE APPLICATION of low temperatures to ocular surgery has resulted in numerous reports of the value of this modality in the treatment of cataract, retinal detachment, and to a lesser degree, glaucoma. Other ocular conditions have been treated by cryosurgical techniques1 and currently constitute "minor" indications for the use of this modality. Recent favorable experience with cryoextraction of clotted blood in cases of total hyphema prompts the present report.
Total hyphema carries a grave prognosis. Its deleterious effects require surgical removal of the blood from the anterior chamber when secondary glaucoma in uncontrollable by medical means or when corneal hemosiderosis occurs. Fibrinolytic agents and aspiration have been advocated by some investigators,2 while others have recommended removal of the anterior chamber clot by forceps or the erysiphake.3-4 All of these techniques have been successful, but all have their drawbacks. Cryosurgery, although not ideal, appears to offer some advantages