Sclerostomy with an Erbium YAG Laser. The Relationship with Pulse Energy

Purpose: To investigate the optimal pulse energy to do sclerostomy with an erbium YAG laser.Materials and Methods: The experiments were performed in enucleated porcine eyes. We changed pulse energy and examined the effects on surrounding tissue.Results: With the increase of pulse energy, the effects of the laser extended to the area surrounding the laser probe. At the threshold energy for doing full-thickness sclerostomy, the total energy was significantly higher than with higher pulse energy. And with pulse energy higher than 2 mJ, the total energy did not show any significant change. Histopathologically, the damaged area around sclerostomy became larger with the increase of pulse energy.Conclusion: The optimal energy to do full-thickness sclerostomy with this system seemed to be 2 mJ.