Photoablation


Photoablation is the process of tissue destruction using a laser that emits ultra-violet light at wavelengths of approximately 200 nm. It has a wide variety of uses in modern medicine.

In corrective eye surgery, photoablation is mainly used to re-shape the cornea, or front of the eye. All laser eye surgery is photoablative in nature, such as LASIK and LASEK. The main type of laser used for photablation is the ‘eximer laser’. Ophthalmologists use the eximer laser to photoablate part of the cornea, decreasing the refractive or optical power of the eye. The laser is able to remove the tissue by transferring energy to the area, causing tissue vaporisation. This allows them to correct many common eye problems with photoablation.

The procedure is relatively painless however local anaesthetic eye drops are often used to numb the eye. The technique of photoablation is now the most commonly used in corrective eye surgery, as such the technique is well refined and there are very few minor side effects.

Some problems associated with photoablation are under or over correction of the patient’s vision, symptoms of halos or starbursts and rarely damage to the eye may occur. Recovery from the procedure usually takes a number of weeks.


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