Abstract

An understanding of the laser ablation process in corneal tissue is important for optimizing the ablation mechanism for surgical applications. Previous studies have investigated the use of UV nanosecond laser pulses as a means for precise removal of corneal tissues.^1,2 Ultraviolet pulses of femtosecond duration have also been used to investigate ablation and etching of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).³ We report the first experimental observation of corneal ablation using visible femtosecond pulses at 620 nm with peak intensities exceeding 10¹³ W/cm².

© 1988 Optical Society of America