UV laser ablation patterns in intraocular lenses

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of UV solid state laser radiation on intraocular lens (IOL) polymer surfaces as an alternative method to conventional surface shaping techniques for IOLs customization. Laser ablation experiments were performed on PMMA plates and commercially available hydrophobic and hydrophilic acrylic IOLs with the 5^th harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (&lambda;=213 nm). Circular arrays of holes were drilled on the polymer surface, covering the centre and the peripheries of the IOL. The morphology of the ablated IOL surface was examined with a conventional optical microscope (Leitz GMBH Wetzlar) and with a scanning electron microscope (SEM, Fei - Innova Nanoscope) at various laser parameters. Quantitative measurements of ablation rates were performed with a contact profilometer (Dektak-150), in which a mechanical stylus scanned across the surface of gold-coated IOLs (after SEM imaging) to measure variationsF in surface height. Laser interaction with IOLs depends on optical and mechanical material properties, in addition to laser radiation parameters. The exact ablation mechanism is discussed. Some polymer materials, depending on their properties, are more susceptible to the photothermal mechanism than the photochemical one or <i>vice versa</i>. In summary, every IOL polymer exhibits specific attributes in its interaction with the 5^th harmonic of Nd:YAG laser.