An In Vitro Study on Focusing fs-Laser Pulses Into Ocular Media for Ophthalmic Surgery

Background and ObjectiveTo investigate femtosecond (fs)-laser patterns within ocular media for ophthalmic surgery. MethodsVitreous and crystalline lens tissue from porcine eyes were treated with 2-dimensional fs-laser patterns and inspected under the optical microscope. Time resolved pump-probe experiments were conducted on vitreous tissue and gelatin, which should act as a model for crystalline lens tissue. ResultsWithin crystalline lens tissue, pulse overlap leads to the formation of large bubbles, which is caused by subsequent energy input from the surrounding plasma channel. This effect can be used for bubble size control. Vitreous tissue behaves similar to water under fs-laser treatment, but it still allows fs-laser cutting. ConclusionBubble size control by laser bursts may reduce optical side-effects of fs-laser treatment. Furthermore, fs-laser treatment could be used for vitreoretinal applications. Lasers Surg. Med. 45:589-596, 2013. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.