LONG-PULSE UV LASER AND OPTICAL CATHETER FOR VITRECTOMY

VITREORETINAL DISEASE IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF BLINDNESS. CURRENT SURGICAL VITRECTOMY UTILIZES MECHANICAL CUTTING DEVICES. HOWEVER, MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF THE VITREOUS MAY BECOMPLICATED BY INSUFFICIENT TISSUE CUTTING AND/OR INADVERTENT TRACTION ON THE RETINA, RESULTING IN RETINAL TEARS, DETACHMENT, AND HEMORRHAGE. IN THIS GRANT APPLICATION, A LONG-PULSE ULTRA-VIOLET (UV) LASER IS PROPOSED FOR VITREOUS CUTTING WITHOUT HARM TO SURROUNDING INTRAOCULAR STRUCTURES. THE EXTREMELY SHORT PENETRATION DEPTH OF UV LIGHT IN TISSUE WILL ENABLE PRECISE AND CONTROLLED ABLATION OF VITREOUS MEMBRANES. THIS LASER, AS WELL AS AN OPTICAL CATHETER SYSTEM TO DELIVER THE LASER LIGHT AND TO SUCTION ABLATED MATERIAL, WILL BE DEVELOPED BY CANDELA LASER CORPORATION DURING THE PHASE I PERIOD. THE DEVICE WILL THEN BE EVALUATED IN AN ANIMAL MODEL, AND A TREATMENT PROTOCOL WILL BE DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY.