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Effect of alcohol on the efficacy of excimer laser power
Arthur C K Cheng1, Ricky W K Law, Alvin L M Young
1Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 3F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. arthurcheng@cuhk.edu.hk
Purpose:
To evaluate the effect of various alcohol concentrations on excimer laser power.
Setting:
University Eye Clinic, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Methods:
The fluency of the Technolas 217z laser (Bausch & Lomb) was calibrated according to the standard calibration procedure. The effect of ethanol 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% and sodium hypochlorite 0.06% solutions on laser fluency was assessed in 5 experiments.
Results:
Ethanol concentrations of 20% and 40% had no significant effect on laser fluency. Ethanol concentrations of 60% and 80% reduced fluency to 97.6%. Sodium hypochlorite had no effect on laser fluency.
Conclusions:
A high concentration of ethanol affected laser fluency and should be avoided in the operating theater. Ethanol 20%, which is commonly used during laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy, did not affect laser fluency.