Comparison of retinal damage thresholds of laser pulses in the macula/paramacula regions of the live eye

Single pulses in the near-infrared (800 nanometers) were used to measure retinal minimum visible lesion (MVL) thresholds in rhesus monkey eyes at a pulse width of 130 femtoseconds (fs) within both the macula and paramacula regions. We report the MVL thresholds, determined at 1 hour and 24 hours post exposure, which were obtained within the macula and adjacent paramacula. This data will provide a direct comparison of the sensitivities of different retinal areas to laser injury and provide additional insight to laser damage. These new data points will be added to the databank for MVLs for single pulses. The MVL-ED50 threshold for the macula was measured to be 0.35 μJ at 24 hours postexposure, which compares with 0.43 μJ measured at 580 nm and the 0.17 μJ measured at 532 nm in our laboratory. Our measurements show that the retinal ED50 threshold in the paramacula was larger by a factor of 1.6 than in the macula. This factor of 1.6 is in good agreement with the factor of 1.1 to 2.5 reported in previous studies.

Duke Scholars

Author Cynthia Ann Toth Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Diseases & Surgery