Erbium‐YAG and holmium‐YAG laser ablation of the lens

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Abstract
Er‐YAG (2.9 μm, 200 JJLS pulsewidth) and Ho‐YAG (2.12 μm, 250 μS pulsewidth) lasers were used to irradiate bovine crystalline lenses. Mass ablated increased with increasing fluence for both lasers and was greater for the Er‐YAG than the Ho‐YAG laser at all fluences. The mass loss vs. fluence curve was nonlinear for the Er‐YAG and linear for the Ho‐YAG laser. Ablation threshold was lower for the Er‐YAG. Grossly, the Er‐YAG laser produced less charring and expressed fewer, smaller tissue pieces than the Ho‐YAG. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the Er‐YAG produced smoother walled craters. The Ho‐YAG laser produced more dessicated and disrupted craters. The Er‐YAG radiation, delivered by fiberoptic probes, may provide a method of performing minimally invasive cataract surgery.