Laser iridectomy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The laser energy required to achieve an iridectomy in the human eye was calculated as a function of laser beam radius and pulse duration. Two widely different models of the stromatal pigment distribution were used to embrace the range of colored irides encountered in practice. The attendant hazards to the cornea, lens and retina were also considered, resulting both from self absorption and also by thermal conduction from the heated iris. These calculations were used to interpret experimental iridectomies attempted over the last 10 yr and to provide a theoretical foundation for the specialized techniques of iridectomy currently employed. A new single pulse technique, suggested by these calculations, was formulated and results of preliminary dye laser experiments were presented. These results were very encouraging because full-thickness iridectomies were formed in both blue- and brown-eyed rabbits with only 40 mJ of incident laser energy. The threshold laser energy required for iridectomy was sensibly constant over the visible spectrum for the brown-eyed rabbit. For the blue-eyed rabbit the energy had a pronounced minimum in the yellow portion of the spectrum.

This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit: