Ocular Hazards of the Q-Switched Erbium Laser

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Abstract

The threshold for ocular damage was determined in owl monkeys with the use of a Q-switched erbium-glass laser at 1.54µ constructed in the laboratory. Ocular damage was limited to the cornea and characterized by localized opacification of the epithelium and stroma. All exposures to energy densities greater than 30 j./cm.² produced injury. The median level for damage occurred at 21 j./cm.², and no injury could be detected below 17 j./cm.². Comparison with threshold values for ocular damage by Q-switched lasers operating in the visible and near visible portion of the spectrum shows that the erbium laser offers promise as a relatively "safe laser."