Abstract

In the pioneering years, laser radiation in ophthalmology was used mainly for retina coagulation (ruby laser, argon laser). With the discovery of other types of lasers, radiations of different wavelengths have been tested even for different ophthalmology treatments. Ophthalmic microsurgery (secondary cataract) uses a high power laser with the shortest pulses to generate plasma breakdown for removing the secondary lens capsule tissue. From the radiation penetration curve into the eye it follows that it is possible to use the radiation of visible or near infrared region. In case of the solid state lasers, the Nd:YAG or ruby lasers are suitable for this purpose, and therefore a simple laser unit which can generate either nanosecond or picosecond pulses is needed. Our Nd:YAG laser system (1.06 µm) for ophthalmology microsurgery allows to select either a Q-switched or mode-locked regime of operation. In clinical practice this system is used mainly for eye microsurgery - for capsulotomy or iridectomy treatment. Principe of function of immediate regimes variation with the comparison of results when the eye was treated with long (ns) or short (tens of ps) pulses (in vivo) are presented.

© 1996 IEEE