Members of the ophthalmology department assigned the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, are using a femtosecond laser to dissect human cornea tissue for cornea transplants or refractive surgery. The ophthalmic surgical team performed the first three corneal transplants using this technology three months ago, according to the report.
The laser produces a one-billionth of a second, intense pulse that gives ophthalmologists an extremely accurate way of cutting the cornea tissue. Ophthalmologists can also program the laser to cut specific shapes or patterns on the tissue, which is useful for designing interfaces between donor and host tissue, according to the report.
Read the U.S. Air Force’s report on the femtosecond laser.
