BEAM HOMOGENIZER FOR EXCIMER LASER REFRACTIVE SURGERY

A NOVEL BEAM OPTIC WILL BE DEVELOPED TO CREATE SPECIFIC AND PREDICTABLE SPATIAL INTENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS OF A 193 NM EXCIMER LASER BEAM. THIS OPTIC WILL PROVIDE VERY HOMOGENOUS DISTRIBUTIONS AS WELL AS OTHER INTENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS. PRECISE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BEAM'S SPATIAL INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED FOR EXTREMELY ACCURATE REMOVAL OF CORNEAL TISSUE. THE ACCURATE REMOVAL OF CORNEAL TISSUE IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY. IN PHASE I THE TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES AND OPERATING PARAMETERS OF THE OPTIC WILL BE DETERMINED. DURING PHASE II THE ABILITY OF THE OPTIC TO PRODUCE SPECIFIC BEAM SPATIAL INTENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS WILL BE MEASURED. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA COLLECTED WILL DETERMINE WHETHER AN OPTIC OF THIS DESIGN WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE EXCIMER LASER PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY PROCEDURE. IN ADDITION, THE MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES WHICH WILL BE DEVELOPED ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER LASER WAVELENGTHS. SIMILAR OPTICS COULD BE MANUFACTURED FOR USE WITH MANY OTHER LASER SOURCES FOR APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE AND INDUSTRY.