Q-SWITCHED, 2-MICRON LASER FOR OPHTHALMOLOGY

A COMMERCIAL MODEL OF AN OPTICALLY PUMPED, PULSED, 2-MICRON-WAVELENGTH, SOLID-STATE LASER WILL BE MODIFIED AND TESTED FOR Q-SWITCHED PERFORMANCE. AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF LASER CRYSTALS-TM:CR:YAG AND HO:TM:CR:YAG-WILL BE USED TO INVESTIGATE THE DIFFERENCES IN PULSE LENGTH AND ENERGY EXTRACTION EFFICIENCIES FOR THE TWO- AND THREE-STEP ENERGY TRANSFER MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR LASER ACTION IN THESE CRYSTALS. THE LASER WILL THEN BE COUPLED TO A HIGH-INFRARED-TRANSMISSION, FUSED-SILICA FIBER AND THE WHOLESYSTEM USED TO STUDY LASER TISSUE INTERACTIONS IN THE EYE. SECTIONING OF VITREOUS MEMBRANES, LENS FRAGMENTATION, AND GLAUCOMA-FILTERING PROCEDURES WILL BE EXPLORED AS A FUNCTIONOF LASER FLUENCES AND WAVELENGTHS. IT IS HOPED THAT DIFFERENCES IN TISSUE INTERACTION, IF ANY, CAN BE OBSERVED THAT ARE DUE TO THE VARYING ABSORPTION COEFFICIENTS OF THE 2.01-MU M TM WAVELENGTH AND THE 2.12-MU M HO WAVELENGTH AS DETERMINED BY THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS ON THE SHOULDER OF THE 1.94-MU M WATER ABSORPTION PEAK. COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF THE DEVICE WILL BE ASSESSED BASED ON THE COMPARISON TO EXISTING MODALITIES, E.G., CUSA AND DIAMOND KNIFE.