Effect of Infrared Lasers on Corneal Tissue
Abstract
Proteomic methods developed through the support of this grant have been used to describe a previously unknown relationship between the pulse width of infrared laser light (l540nm) and the degree of post-exposure corneal wound healing. Using standard histologic methods, in vitro exposure of corneal tissue to nanosecond pulse widths appeared less damaging when compared to millisecond pulse widths. However, using MMP-2 immunohistochemistry to detect subtle stromal remodeling, we discovered a markedly increased tissue response to nanosecond exposures when compared to millisecond exposures. This finding is important to the AFOSR mission because it demonstrates that significant tissue changes associated with wound healing can occur in the cornea following exposure to nanosecond pulse widths that are not detectable using standard histologic techniques. Tissue engineering methods developed through the support of this grant were used to produce organotypic corneal models that reduced the number of experimental animals necessary to conduct laser-tissue interaction studies. Through tissue engineering, our research group developed a validated experimental model to document the marked proliferative response of corneal tissue to low fluence 1540 nm laser radiation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA425709
Entities
People
- Thomas Eurell
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign