Nonlinear optical behavior of ocular tissue during laser irradiation

Wei Chiang Lin, Massoud Motamedi, Ashley J. Welch

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    9 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    A pump (cw Ho–YAG laser) and probe (He–Ne laser) system was used to study the dynamics of the optical behavior of ocular tissue during laser heating. The nonlinear optical behavior of porcine corneal and vitreous-humor tissue was characterized in vitro by means of measurements of the radial profile of a He–Ne laser beam transmitted through the tissue. Temperature gradients in the tissue created by the absorption of pump radiation caused the probe beam to diverge. For constant laser power, the rate of divergence was made dependent on the spot size of the pump beam. The profile of the transmitted probe beam returned to its original magnitude and shape after the tissue was permitted to cool. This reversible change in optical behavior was attributed to the formation of a negative lens owing to thermally induced local gradients in the refractive index of the tissue.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)7979-7985
    Number of pages7
    JournalApplied Optics
    Volume34
    Issue number34
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 1995

    Keywords

    • Nonlinear optics
    • Thermal lensing
    • Tissue optics

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
    • Engineering (miscellaneous)
    • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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