Intrastromal cutting effects in rabbit cornea using femtosecond laser pulses

Alexander Heisterkamp; Tammo Ripken; Holger Lubatschowski; Herbert Welling; Elke Luetkefels; Wolfgang Drommer; Wolfgang Ertmer

doi:10.1117/12.409337

16 November 2000 Intrastromal cutting effects in rabbit cornea using femtosecond laser pulses

Alexander Heisterkamp, Tammo Ripken, Holger Lubatschowski, Herbert Welling, Elke Luetkefels, Wolfgang Drommer, Wolfgang Ertmer

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4161, Optical Biopsy and Tissue Optics; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409337
Event: EOS/SPIE European Biomedical Optics Week, 2000, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

In this work the dependence of the threshold energy and pulse duration for photodisruption was studied between 100 and 1500 femtoseconds using an erbium fiber laser system with subsequent chirped pulse amplification in a titanium-sapphire system. Cutting effects were analyzed in animal specimens like rabbit cornea and porcine eye globes. To perform intrastromal cuts, the laser beam was guided through a computer controlled delivery system. The treated tissue was analyzed by histological sections and by means of light and electron microscopy. Pressure transients were measured at the endothelium during the cutting procedure. Bubble formation and dynamics were studied using flash photography. The resulting gas bubbles were analyzed to their content, and photodissociation could be noticed. As a result of these studies a set of optimized parameters for pulse duration, scanning algorithm, pulse energy and the focusing and beam delivery system could be found. The thermal damage zone in the irradiated tissue was found to be smaller than 1 micrometer and maximum pressure transients at the endothelium could be determined to be in the range of some hundred millibars. Moreover, performing of intrastromal cuts and creation of a lenticule for achieving a refractive effect in the eye was demonstrated. The investigations show, that fs-pulses are a very precise tool for refractive surgery.

Citation Download Citation

Alexander Heisterkamp, Tammo Ripken, Holger Lubatschowski, Herbert Welling, Elke Luetkefels, Wolfgang Drommer, and Wolfgang Ertmer "Intrastromal cutting effects in rabbit cornea using femtosecond laser pulses", Proc. SPIE 4161, Optical Biopsy and Tissue Optics, (16 November 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.409337

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