New Laser Technology for Safety Correction of Myopia
Introduction:Recently, researchers at Columbia University in the United States have developed a new method of correcting vision with a laser that can non-invasively solve various problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, making it safer and more convenient than previous methods. At present, the relevant research results have been published in the British Natural Photonics magazine.
In recent years, more and more people use laser vision correction surgery, that is to use a laser "cut" in the forefront of the eye-shaped transparent thin slice - cornea, to change the degree of curvature of the cornea in the pupil area, adjust the refractive performance. The first author of the paper, Wang Chao, a Chinese student at Columbia University, said that no matter how minimally invasive laser vision correction is, it is an invasive surgical operation after all. The problem of adverse reactions and restrictions on the use of the crowd is still quite obvious. If clinically proven, this new technology is expected to replace existing laser-corrected vision surgeries.
The most advanced laser vision correction surgery is to use a femtosecond laser to process the cornea. Different from the prior art, the new research is not to use the femtosecond laser as a "knife" but as a stimulus to cause the cornea itself to deform.
The researchers controlled the femtosecond laser intensity within a certain range and did not cut or burn the cornea. Under certain conditions, a series of photochemical reactions occur between the femtosecond laser and the cornea, which causes ionization of water and other molecules inside the cornea, resulting in a low-density plasma that generates oxygen-containing free radicals. These free radicals react with the collagen fibers in the cornea, creating wonderful cross-linking that causes the cornea to change shape. The use of femtosecond lasers to produce photochemical effects does not require the use of photosensitizers, no cutting of the cornea, no damage to tissue and cells, and is truly non-invasive.
Currently, the technology is being evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and clinical trials are planned for the end of this year.