Microsurgery of the retina with a needle-guided 193-nm excimer laser

A. Lewis, D. Palanker*, I. Hemo, J. Pe'er, H. Zauberman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article presents a method used to guide the beam from an argon fluoride excimer laser to make it suitable for microsurgical purposes and confine it to areas that can be varied in dimension from 1 μm to tens or hundreds of microns. This approach guides the excimer laser beam with an articulated mechanical arm and confines it with variable-diameter tapered tubes, possibly allowing the use of this laser in in vitro retinal surgery with endolaser techniques. Currently, because of the lack of a delivery and focusing system for the 193-nm argon fluoride beam and its absorption by biologic liquids, this laser is used exclusively in ophthalmology for topical applications, such as corneal sculpting. This new method resolves these problems in a unique way with impressive results. Specifically, it was shown that, with this needle-guided excimer laser, it is possible to remove retinal tissue accurately without detectable damage to surrounding cells. Applications of this new technique in retinal surgery are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2377-2381
Number of pages5
JournalInvestigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Volume33
Issue number8
StatePublished - 1992

Keywords

  • 193-nm radiation
  • excimer laser
  • laser surgery
  • microsurgery
  • photoablation
  • retina surgery

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