TY - JOUR
T1 - Strong bonding of corneal incisions using a noncontact fiber-optic laser soldering method
AU - Basov, Svetlana
AU - Varssano, David
AU - Platkov, Max
AU - Gabay, Ilan
AU - Rosner, Mordechai
AU - Barequet, Irina
AU - Rattunde, Marcel
AU - Wagner, Joachim
AU - Harlev, Mickey
AU - Ofer, Doron
AU - Nisky, Ilana
AU - Dankner, Yair
AU - Katzir, Abraham
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - Suturing of corneal incisions requires significant skill. We demonstrate a noncontact method that will simplify the bonding process. 5-mm-long penetrating vertical and slanted incisions were made in corneas of eyes, extracted from dead piglets. A fiber-optic laser system was used for laser soldering of the incisions, under close temperature control, using albumin solder. The burst-pressure PB immediately after the soldering was found to be PB ≈ 92 and 875 mmHg, for vertical and slanted incisions, respectively. PB = 875 mmHg is an exceptionally high figure, ≈10 times the clinically acceptable value for sutured incisions. Laser soldering was then performed on penetrating incisions made in the corneas of live healthy piglets, of weight ≈10 Kg. After a healing period, the eyes were extracted, and the corneas were examined by histopathology and by optical coherence tomography. Our method immediately generated watertight and strong bonding without noticeable corneal shape distortion. These results would be beneficial for cataract surgery and for corneal transplantations. The fiber-optic system makes it much easier to bond corneal incisions. In the future, laser soldering could be automated and efficiently used by less experienced surgeons, thereby reducing the workload on the experienced ones.
AB - Suturing of corneal incisions requires significant skill. We demonstrate a noncontact method that will simplify the bonding process. 5-mm-long penetrating vertical and slanted incisions were made in corneas of eyes, extracted from dead piglets. A fiber-optic laser system was used for laser soldering of the incisions, under close temperature control, using albumin solder. The burst-pressure PB immediately after the soldering was found to be PB ≈ 92 and 875 mmHg, for vertical and slanted incisions, respectively. PB = 875 mmHg is an exceptionally high figure, ≈10 times the clinically acceptable value for sutured incisions. Laser soldering was then performed on penetrating incisions made in the corneas of live healthy piglets, of weight ≈10 Kg. After a healing period, the eyes were extracted, and the corneas were examined by histopathology and by optical coherence tomography. Our method immediately generated watertight and strong bonding without noticeable corneal shape distortion. These results would be beneficial for cataract surgery and for corneal transplantations. The fiber-optic system makes it much easier to bond corneal incisions. In the future, laser soldering could be automated and efficiently used by less experienced surgeons, thereby reducing the workload on the experienced ones.
KW - albumin
KW - cornea
KW - infrared
KW - laser bonding
KW - laser soldering
KW - optical fibers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077340171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/1.JBO.24.12.128002
DO - 10.1117/1.JBO.24.12.128002
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AN - SCOPUS:85077340171
SN - 1083-3668
VL - 24
JO - Journal of Biomedical Optics
JF - Journal of Biomedical Optics
IS - 12
M1 - 128002
ER -