Corneal endothelial cell damage associated with contact to gas bubbles during YAG laser application

Corneal endothelial cell damage was generated in freshly enucleated pig's eyes by multiple applications of YAG laser bursts in the anterior chamber focussed 2 mm behind the corneal endothelium. With 100 X 5 bursts at an energy of 5 mJ focussed 2 mm behind the endothelium, a considerable number of gas bubbles were generated at the site of optical breakdown in the aqueous humor. Variable areas of scattered endothelial cell damage or necrosis were observed. By selecting two different experimental settings, a possible harmful effect of the gas bubbles on the corneal endothelium could be demonstrated.