Abstract

Ophthalmology is the medical specialty in which lasers have been most widely employed for therapy. Within three years after the invention of the laser, the ruby laser was being used for retinal photocoagulation. Current laser ophthalmic laser technology includes use of continuous wave argon and krypton lasers to produce thermal effects inside the eye (i.e., photocoagulation) and the use of short-pulsed (i.e., Q-switched or mode-locked) Nd:YAG lasers to produce electromechanical disruption of tissue (i.e., photodisruption). Argon and krypton lasers are used commonly in the treatment of the three leading causes of legal blindness in the United States; senile macular degeneration; diabetic retinopathy; and glaucoma. Short-pulsed Nd:YAG lasers are useful in cutting membranes which develop frequently in the eye following successful cataract surgery.

© 1985 Optical Society of America