Contact lens filter for macular photocoagulation with monochromatic green argon laser

Safer and more effective macular photocoagulation can be performed with monochromatic green light, thereby avoiding the energy absorption by the xanthophyll pigment in the inner retina in the blue portion (488 nm line) of the argon laser radiation. While an appropriate laser filter has been built into commercially available laser systems to provide a "green-only option," a contact lens filter which provides monochromatic green energy with a standard argon laser delivery system has been evaluated. The filter requires twice as much laser energy output from the laser, and may allow higher levels of energy to reflect off the filter towards observers.