A CO2 Laser System for Corneal Surgery.
Abstract
A CO2 laser optical system capable of precise control of output power, beam divergence, and spot size was designed to investigate cutting properties of the focused laser beam on corneal tissue. The laser system was tested in three different modes of operation: continuous wave (CW), externally chopped, and Q-switched. The system was tested on bovine, hog, and human corneas. The results indicated that the CO2 laser can make corneal incisions with a controllable penetration depth of 10 micrometers and deeper and a width as small as 50 micrometers. With such accurate control, the laser may supplement and even replace the scalpel in some surgical procedures such as radial keratotomy, relaxing incisions following corneal transplants, and rapid and precise cutting of surface sutures. By integrating a CO2 laser system with a standard slit lamp, the ophthalmologist should have a safe and useful tool in laser surgery of the cornea. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA094397
Entities
People
- William Harold Possel
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology