Corneal Injury to Ex-Vivo Eyes Exposed to a 3.8 Micron Laser

Abstract

As a consequence of the significant expansion of laser use in medicine, industry and research, specific safety standards must be developed that appropriately address eye protection. The purpose of this study is to establish injury thresholds to the cornea for 3.8 micrometer 8 microsecond laser light pulses and to investigate a possible replacement model to live animal testing. Previous studies of pulsed energy absorption at 3.8 micrometers were performed using rhesus monkey cornea and were at pulse durations two orders of magnitude different than the 8 microsecond pulses used in this study. Ex-vivo pig eyes were exposed at varying energies and evaluated to establish the statistical threshold for corneal damage. Histologic evaluation was used to determine the extent of damage to the cornea. It is expected that the results will be used to assist in the establishment of safety standards for laser use and offer an alternative to future animal use in establishment of safety standards.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA435424

Entities

People

  • James G. Fyffe

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption Coefficients
  • Air Force
  • Climate Change
  • Deuterium Fluoride Lasers
  • Energy
  • Factor Analysis
  • Fungi
  • Ionizing Radiation
  • Laser Safety
  • Law
  • Materials
  • Optical Properties
  • Public Health
  • Radiation
  • Rhesus Monkeys
  • Safety Factor
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy