Abstract
Photodisruption with high-power near-infrared laser pulses has become a well-established tool for intraocular microsurgery since the 1970's. Surgical effects of these lasers are based on optical breakdown at the focus of the laser beam due to the high-intensity electric field. The plasma initially expands with hypersonic velocity due to its high pressure and temperature. A shock wave is emitted when the plasma expansion decreases to subsonic velocity. Further expansion of the plasma results in the creation of a cavitation bubble. There are indications that the primary surgical effect is tissue evaporation by the laser plasma, while shock waves and cavitation bubbles may cause collateral tissue damage or undesirable surgical effects.1,2 Previous results with picosecond laser pulses indicate that the size of the photoacoustic side effects can be decreased by using shorter pulses for intraocular surgery.2 To assess the potential of a femtosecond intraocular surgical laser in comparison to the techniques presently used, we have investigated the shock-wave emission and cavitation-bubble formation after femtosecond optical breakdown in corneal tissue and water with time-resolved flash photography.
© 1995 Optical Society of America
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