An adaptable, laser-diode-based illumination system was developed to simultaneously visualize the dynamics of slow and fast phenomena in optically transparent media. The system can be coupled with still or high-speed cameras and makes it possible to generate an arbitrary train of illumination pulses with a variable pulse duration, pulse energy, and an intrapulse delay with a temporal resolution of 12.5 ns. Its capabilities are presented with selected illustrative visualizations of the dynamics of the shock waves and the cavitation entities generated after the laser-induced breakdown in water.
COBISS.SI-ID: 17080347
During laser-induced, breakdown-based medical procedures in human eyes such as posterior capsulotomy and vitreolysis, shock waves are emitted from the location of the plasma. A part of these spherically expanding transients is reflected from the concave surface of the corneal epithelium and refocused within the eye. Using a simplified experimental model of the eye, the dominant secondary cavitation clusters were detected by high-speed camera shadowgraphy in the refocusing volume, dislocated from the breakdown position and described by an abridged ray theory. Individual microbubbles were detected in the preheated cone of the incoming laser pulse and radially extending cavitation filaments were generated around the location of the breakdown soon after collapse of the initial bubble. The generation of the secondary cavitation structures due to shock wave focusing can be considered an adverse effect, important in ophthalmology
COBISS.SI-ID: 16998683
A transient pressure wave created in photoablation-based laser corneal refractive surgery propagates along the optical axis of the eye from the cornea toward the fundus. Along its path, it is attenuated, reflected several times at tissue interfaces, focused due to the spherical shape of the cornea, and partially phase-converted to a tensile wave after passing the acoustic focus. Employing the numerical acoustic eye model, the dynamics of the acoustic focusing is described in detail. The simulated pressure waveforms are first validated against the existing measurements. Then, the calculated full pressure fields are used to obtain the extreme values of the pressure amplitude at every point within the eye over the whole timespan of interest. Over these pressure maps, various threshold contours obtained from the existing literature are superimposed to help ophthalmologists investigate the consequences of acoustic focusing within the human eye during laser keratorefractive surgery. The comparison indicates that the simulated negative peak pressure values used in the contemporary broad beam and flying spot laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis/photorefractive keratectomy treatments exceed some of the reported threshold values. The critical volume where the thresholds are surpassed is located near the lens-vitreous boundary and extends to the retina for wide beams. The photoablation-induced pressure wave focusing is, therefore, a mechanism that needs to be researched carefully and...
COBISS.SI-ID: 16628763