SOLID-STATE LASER SOURCE FOR CORNEAL ABLATION

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Photorefractive keratectomy, a new procedure used to correct myopia by removing corneal tissue with an ArF excimer laser, is currently undergoing human clinical trials in the US. The excimer laser is relatively complex and employs expendable, toxic gases in operation. A solid-state alternative to the excimer would be less expensive to pur- chase and less costly to maintain. Although FDA approval is not expected until 1993-1994, the enormous market potential for this procedure has led to an intensive search for systems based on alternative technology. Since efficient UV solid-state lasers are not available, the objective of the Phase II program would be to develop a near-IR source that could be shifted to the 207-220 nm region via frequency quadrupling. Tissue studies would be performed in order to assess the performance differences between this wavelength region and the 193 nm excimer. The long term goal would be to develop a solid-state UV system that could replace the excimer in existing refractive surgery workstations.