A scanning and rotating slit arF excimer laser delivery system for refractive surgery.
This study was designed to investigate the quality of a scanning and rotating slit delivery system of an ArF excimer laser (Nidek EC-5000). The ablation patterns on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) wafers were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The influence of inhomogeneities in the beam profile was simulated on a computer and compared with a conventional large-area ablation system. The impairment of the ablation rate by radiation absorption of the ablation plume was measured as a function of the repetition rate and the application of a fixation ring. The scanning and rotating slit delivery system is tolerant of small-beam non-homogeneities. The ablation rate is sensitive to the dynamics of the ablation plume. Although the operating procedure takes less time with a large-area ablation system, a scanning and rotating delivery system has the advantage of reliable and homogeneous removal of corneal tissue.
PubMed Abstracts
PubMed Abstracts