|  | Surgeries Operations | Laser Eye Surgery

Surgical Laser Instruments

When the laser was invented in 1960, few realized its full potential in the field of surgery. Yet today, more than a dozen different types of lasers are used by doctors to treat a number of medical problems. Lasers can make minute, precise incisions in hard-to-reach places and cause minimal blood loss. Surgical laser instruments vary greatly and can be modified to fit a particular application. The best way to understand laser surgical instruments is to explore the many uses in modern medicine.

  1. Instruments for Ophthalmology

    • Perhaps the most well-known use of lasers in surgery is Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, or LASIK, technology. In LASIK surgery, excimer lasers and laser keratomes are used to permanently change the shape of the cornea to improve vision. The U.S. FDA provides a list of all brands of laser devices that are approved for LASIK surgery. Lasers are also heavily used in other ophthalmological surgeries to improve cataracts and glaucoma. Laser instruments are used to treat diabetic retinal disease and diabetic macular edema.

    Instruments for Dermatology

    • Lasers are used by many plastic surgeons to remove unwanted layers of dead skin to give the patient a more youthful look. This process, called ablative fractional resurfacing, leaves the patient with a slight wound that takes a few days to heal, and uses either a CO2 Laser or a Erbium YAG laser, both of which make very shallow perforations into the skin. Lasers are also used in tattoo removal, where wavelengths of light are burned into the skin, causing tattoo ink to breakdown into small particles that are then destroyed by the body's immune system. These short, high energy bursts are accomplished with Q-switched lasers, including the Q-switched Ruby, the Q-switched Alexandrite, and the Q-switched Nd: YAG, all developed specifically for tattoo removal.

    Laser Instruments for Other Surgeries

    • Lasers are also used in a number of surgeries to replace scalpels or other tools to make precise cuts with minimum tissue damage. Many cancerous tumors are removed using a variety of laser instruments. The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery notes that CO2 lasers and the Nd:YAG lasers are commonly used today in neurosurgery, to remove brain tumors or alleviate pain. Laser instruments are also used to remove gallbladders and dissolve urinary stones. In addition, the CO2 laser has become vitally important in treating laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers, which can be treated through the esophagus using a laser rather than requiring an incision into the neck or throat.

Laser Eye Surgery - Related Articles