Laser-induced acute and long-term alterations to visual fuction

David O. Robbins; Harry Zwick

doi:10.1117/12.350600

18 June 1999 Laser-induced acute and long-term alterations to visual fuction

David O. Robbins, Harry Zwick

Proceedings Volume 3591, Ophthalmic Technologies IX; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.350600
Event: BiOS '99 International Biomedical Optics Symposium, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

We examined acute laser exposure effects in awake task- oriented non-human primates. These animals were trained to discriminate between various acuity targets that initially exceeded 1 minute of arc. They were exposed in the fovea and parafovea by aligning the output from a laser source with the gap of threshold Landolt ring. Parafoveal exposures were produced by offsetting the laser source and Landolt ring gap by 1 degree. For small spot exposures (< 100 μm) using repetitively pulsed (20 Hz) Q-switched laser (532 nm) pulses above the retinal damage threshold, initial acuity deficits returned to pre-exposure baseline acuity within 30 minute postexposure. Periodic ophthalmoscopic examinations revealed punctate lesions within the fovea as well as parafoveal region. Off-axis exposures produced a greater abundance of parafoveal punctate lesions. With repetitive exposures over a period of 6 months to one year, immediate postexposure recoveries in visual acuity lengthened from minutes to hours and eventually the initial deficits became permanent. These results suggest that Q-switched visible laser pulses may induced photoreceptor pathology prior to the observance of significant acuity changes and/or initiation of the photochemical transduction process. If this hypothesis is correct, Q-switched laser damage may be more selective to the outer segment of the photoreceptor where the transduction mechanism presumably is resident.

Citation Download Citation

David O. Robbins and Harry Zwick "Laser-induced acute and long-term alterations to visual fuction", Proc. SPIE 3591, Ophthalmic Technologies IX, (18 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.350600

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