Therapeutic and diagnostic application of lasers in ophthalmology

Abstract

The accessibility of the human eye, its transparency and the absorption properties of its internal tissues have fostered a rapid evolution of applications for lasers in ophthalmology. Lasers are in ubiquitous clinical use for many therapeutic and diagnostic purposes and their application has become the standard of care in the treatment of many eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy, vascular disease, glaucoma, and the treatment of capsular opacification following cataract surgery. The success of laser therapy for eye diseases has been one of the most remarkable success stories in medicine. Millions of patients have had vision preserved or restored through laser treatment. Many new laser applications are under investigation, including refractive surgery, removal of cataracts, vitrea-retinal surgery, and diagnostic studies. Lasers achieve their effects in the eye through photothermal, photodisruptive, or photochemical mechanisms. Herein, we provide an overview of the present status of clinical and research applications for lasers in ophthalmology.

Photoresponsive PEG-Anthracene Grafted Hyaluronan as a Controlled-Delivery Biomaterial

“…However, two-photon absorption (TPA) may offer a safer opportunity to cause effective dimerization and dedimerization at the back of the eye. Ocular tissues at the front of the eye may absorb UV . TPA uses high wavelength visible light that can penetrate through the cornea and lens to accumulate at the required UV wavelengths with high dimensional and spatial selectivity .…”

Glaucoma: Biological Trabecular and Neuroretinal Pathology with Perspectives of Therapy Innovation and Preventive Diagnosis

“…The advantages of laser therapy are mainly the low invasiveness, reduced probability of infection, ease of implementation and minimal post-operative pain. Complications are mainly of inflammatory nature, but they also include IOP elevation peaks, aqueous drainage block due to trabecular scarring and corneal damage (Thompson et al, 2002 ). Research efforts in recent years have been focused on finding new methods for concentrating and directing the laser energy only on interested areas, limiting thermal damage to adjacent tissues.…”

Fetd Computation of the Temperature Distribution Induced Into a Human Eye by a Pulsed Laser

“…Laser systems have been widely implemented in various ophthalmological procedures during the last few decades [1][2][3], and these cover electromagnetic spectrum from ultraviolet to visible and infrared wavelengths. This increased use of lasers and widespread application of different types of eye surgeries have resulted in the need for quantitative understanding of basic interaction between laser light radiation and the human eye tissues.…”