What equipment is used in laser eye surgery?

There are many different lasers which are now used in modern laser eye surgery procedures. Excimer lasers some of the oldest lasers around, and they were created especially for eye surgery. There are two main types of laser used in corrective eye surgery- broad beam lasers and scanning lasers.

Types of lasers

Broad Beam Lasers – Broad beam lasers produce a wide beam which has a diameter of around half a centimetre. This allows the procedure to be completed more quickly, and also decreases the risk of under correction problems.

Slit Scanning Lasers – These lasers have a small beam, which is connected to a rotating head.

Spot Scanning Lasers – These lasers are perhaps the most widely used, and unlike broad beam lasers, they have a diameter of around 1mm. During surgery, this laser is guided over the eye by a machine.

The software used in laser eye surgery

Eye Tracking Software – During laser eye surgery, the tracking software follows the natural movements of the eye which occur during the procedure. This software is extremely important, because if it wasn’t available then the eye would have to be focused in a fixed position through surgery- which would prove to be extremely difficult.

There are currently two types of eye tracking software that are commonly used- open loop and closed loop software.

Laser eye surgery equipment is constantly advancing- ensuring that you get the best results possible.