Femtosecond refractive eye surgery

Studies on corneal surgery and flap processing on enucleated porcine eyes have been performed using a dedicated 100 kHz femtosecond laser source based on Ytterbium technology. IR (1035 nm) and green (517 nm) flap processing have been studied. Comparisons for ocular femtosecond laser surgery are discussed in terms of process efficiency and safety aspects. Flaps with a typical diameter of 6 mm and 150 um thick have been performed in less than 2 min with both wavelengths. The transmittances of femtosecond laser pulses through the ocular media of porcine eyes have been measured for a collimated beam and during flap processing. More than 25 % of energy is transmitted through the whole eye at the retina during IR pulses flap processing. Concerning green pulses, if less energy is necessary to perform the flap which is of prime interest, the transmission of green light is very high and could be an undeniable obstacle for the safety.