Excimer laser instrumentation and technique for human corneal surgery

The design and development of the instrumentation utilized during the clinical and histopathologic evaluations of the first human eyes treated by argon fluoride excimer laser radiation are described. The laser, optical, alignment, measurement, and control subsystems required for this research were constructed to create a laser beam that has an axially symmetric energy distribution, can be calibrated and measured, can be aligned with the target tissue, and can be manipulated to excise surface tissue. The use of this excimer laser system has demonstrated that a nonuniform superficial lamellar keratectomy can be produced to excise areas of opacified, scarred, or abnormal cornea or to create a new anterior corneal curvature in attempts to correct refractive errors.