title: Ultrashort laser pulse bioeffects and safety.
abstract: Recent studies of retinal damage due to ultrashort laser pulses have shown that less energy is required for retinal damage for pulses shorter than 1 ns than that for longer pulses. It has also been shown that more energy is required for near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths than in the visible because the light focuses behind the retina, requiring more energy to produce a damaging fluence on the retina. We review the progress made in determining the trends in retinal damage from laser pulses of 1 ns to 100 fs in the visible and NIR wavelength regimes. We have determined the most likely damage mechanism(s) operative in this pulse width regime.
authors.affiliation: Air Force Armstrong Laboratory, AL/OEOP, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas 78235-5215, USA.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rockwell
authors.forename: D X
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Toth
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Roach
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Druessel
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Amnotte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eilert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Noojin
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stolarski
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007834:Lasers / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000145:classification; D008027:Light; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008543:Melanins / Q000528:radiation effects; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011817:Rabbits; D012160:Retina / Q000293:injuries*; D012449:Safety; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins