Monthly Archives: May 2014

LASIK Excimer Lasers

LASIK and other forms of laser refractive surgery, such as PRK and LASEK, all use a highly specialized excimer laser to reshape the cornea and correct refractive errors including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. Excimer lasers have revolutionized the field of laser eye surgery, and over the decades have greatly increased in safety, efficacy and predictability of corneal refractive surgery outcomes. LASIK Excimer lasers have the ability to remove, or "ablate," microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea's underlying stromal layer, with a very high degree of accuracy, and without damaging the surrounding corneal tissue. Several FDA-approved excimer lasers are on the market, but one is not necessarily "better" than another. A few of these lasers include the Alcon EX500, AMO VISX S4 IR, Bausch & Lomb Technolas TENEO 317, & Zeiss MEL 80 Excimer Laser, just to name a few. The most suitable excimer laser for a practice will depend on th Read More

OCT Technology

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a fundamentally new type of optical imaging modality. OCT performs high-resolution, cross-sectional tomographic imaging of the internal microstructure in materials and biologic systems by measuring backscattered or back reflected light. OCT images are two-dimensional data sets which represent the optical backscattering in a cross-sectional plane through the tissue. Image resolutions of 1 to 15 µm can be achieved one to two orders of magnitude higher than conventional ultrasound. Imaging on the OCT can be performed in situ and in real time. The unique features of this technology enable a broad range of research and clinical applications. OCT, imaging the internal cross-sectional microstructure of tissues using measurements of optical backscattering or back reflection, was first demonstrated in the early nineties. OCT imaging was performed in vitro in the human retina and in atherosclerotic plaque as examples of imaging in transparent, weakly sca Read More