Table of Contents
Advances in Fiber-Optic Laser Technology
In recent years, important progress has been made in the development of fiber-optic technologies in general and, in particular, in the development related to fiber lasers. Fiber-optic lasers are compact and reliable; they are used more and more in surgical procedures in such areas as diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical medical activities. Optical fiber lasers have a large number of unique features, like great flexibility, convenience, and reliability in surgical applications. The fiber’s waveguiding properties supply single-mode operation that creates excellent diffraction-limited beam quality. This is especially useful in microsurgery and nanosurgery because it provides high resolution of the focusing spot.
Integration with Surgical Devices
Fiber-optic lasers allow the light to be easily integrated into endoscopes, microscopes, and other surgical devices. Also, many fiber lasers have a wall-plug efficiency of around 30 percent, while some thulium fiber lasers have a wall-plug efficiency of around 12 percent. Combine this with the supple nature of fiber, which can be bent and coiled into a space about the size of a shoebox, and fiber lasers become portable, which is critical for emergency surgery.
Fiber Laser Composition and Advantages
Fiber-optic lasers typically comprise a single-mode fiber core doped with erbium, ytterbium (or their combination), or thulium. The optical fiber itself in fiber-optic lasers is the resonator cavity. Energy is coupled into the fiber’s cladding from a solid-state source, then moves into the core and pumps the dopant. These optical fiber lasers have significant advantages over other types of lasers, like higher efficiency, wider tunability, and better beam quality, which, as a result, contribute to the fact that these lasers widen the utility of lasers in general for medical applications.
Medical Applications of Fiber Lasers
The targeted nature of the laser beam is attractive to many surgeons who work in a variety of fields. Fiber sources can access hard-to-reach areas of the body and deliver targeted cutting, ablating, or cauterizing while minimizing damage to the surrounding tissues.
Ophthalmology and Vision Correction
At the moment, the market of medical equipment is filling up with fiber-optic lasers, which have an all-femto single-step system. These lasers allow for the correction of vision without having to create a flap in the cornea, to perform corneal transplant procedures, and intracorneal ring implantation.
Dental and Aesthetic Applications
With different groundbreaking developments in the sphere of fiber-optic lasers, the scientists have been successful in gaining long-range applications of fiber lasers in the medical sector. Optical fiber lasers are actively used in dental implementation and ophthalmology to achieve aesthetic properties such as skin rejuvenation, body contouring, and hair removal.