Ultrashort laser pulse bioeffects and safety.
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.
Rockwell
B A
BA
Air Force Armstrong Laboratory, AL/OEOP, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas 78235-5215, USA.
Hammer
D X
DX
Hopkins
R A
RA
Payne
D J
DJ
Toth
C A
CA
Roach
W P
WP
Druessel
J J
JJ
Kennedy
P K
PK
Amnotte
R E
RE
Eilert
B
B
Phillips
S
S
Noojin
G D
GD
Stolarski
D J
DJ
Cain
C
C
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
D008543:Melanins