[Femtosecond laser for refractive corneal surgery: foundations, mode of action and clinical applications].
Modern corneal laser surgery for the correction of optical errors of the eye requires a precise, reliable and reproducible creation of corneal lenticels (flaps). The use of ultra-short laser pulses with pulse durations of a few 100 femtoseconds (10(-13) s) allows for non-thermal cuts of ocular tissue. Mean flap thicknesses as small as 100 microm with a reproducibility of 10 microm (standard deviation) can be created by using mechano-optical adaptations through the eye. Thus, the femtosecond laser can be considered a good alternative approach with a safety in clinical use that is comparable with that of mechanical microkeratomes.
Mrochen
M
M
IROC Institut für Refraktive und Ophthalmo-Chirurgie, Stockerstasse 37, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland. michael.mrochen@iroc.ch
Donges
A
A
Korn
G
G
D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology