Tissue ablation via optical fibre delivery of UV laser radiation

Abstract

We report the use of an ultraviolet (UV) laser and optical fibre arrangement capable of precise and controllable tissue ablation. The 5 th (213nm) and 4 th (266nm) harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser were launched into optical fibres using a hollow glass taper to concentrate the beam. Standard and modified silica/silica optical fibres were used, all commercially available. The available energy and fluence, as a function of optical fibre length, were evaluated and maximised. Single 5ns pulses were used to ablate both fresh porcine retina and in vivo rat trabecular meshwork. Fluences of 0.4 to 4.0 J/cm 2 of 266nm and 0.2 to 1.0 J/cm 2 of 213nm were used respectively. Thus demonstrating the potential use of this system for intraocular surgical applications.