Experimental femtosecond laser-assisted nanosurgery of anterior lens capsule

Purpose. To investigate femtosecond laser-assisted nanosurgery of the anterior lens capsule in a prospective in vitro study. Methods. Eight anterior lens capsules obtained during conventional phaco surgery were irradiated with a non amplified 80-MHz near-infrared 800-nm titanium:sapphire femtosecond laser. Line intratissue laser cuts were examined by femtosecond multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MLSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results. Speed parameters of the laser beam, laser ablation time, and pulse power determined the width of the lesions, which ranged from 220±40 nm (SD) to 1.49±0.15 m. Both MLSM and TEM revealed minimal collateral alterations in the tissue surrounding the laser cuts. Conclusions. Non amplified near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses at low pulse energies may be a promising strategy for precise noncontact nanosurgery of the anterior lens capsule with minimal collateral damage to surrounding tissue. High-resolution MLSM offers 3-dimensional, noninvasive, nondestructive imaging at submicrometer resolution within seconds before and after ablation.