Damage thresholds for cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells exposed to lasers at 532 nm and 458 nm.
The determination of safe exposure levels for lasers has come from damage assessment experiments in live animals, which typically involve correlating visually identifiable damage with laser dosimetry. Studying basic mechanisms of laser damage in animal retinal systems often requires tissue sampling (animal sacrifice), making justification and animal availability problematic. We determined laser damage thresholds in cultured monolayers of a human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line. By varying exposure duration and laser wavelength, we identified conditions leading to damage by presumed photochemical or thermal mechanisms. A comparison with literature values for ocular damage thresholds validates the in vitro model. The in vitro system described will facilitate molecular and cellular approaches for understanding laser-tissue interaction.
Denton
Michael L
ML
Northrop Grumman, Warfighter Concepts and Applications Department, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA.
Foltz
Michael S
MS
Schuster
Kurt J
KJ
Estlack
Larry E
LE
Thomas
Robert J
RJ
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004056:Differential Threshold / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D007834:Lasers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors