By directing a concentrated beam of light, surgeons are able to perform the precise, delicate cuts and restructuring needed to treat a number of eye diseases. Not all lasers are alike. Thermal lasers provide a concentrated, pinpoint ray of heat, converted from light, to close veins and arteries that are bleeding or seeping fluid, destroy tumors and other abnormal tissue or reattach the retina.
Photodisruptive lasers work more like a knife.
These lasers allow surgeons to cut thin membranes or sculpt tissue to reshape the eye's surface. Diseases that can be treated with lasers include retinal tears or holes, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Lasers are NOT used to remove cataracts, as some people may believe, Kinyoun stresses. Lasers may be used following cataract surgery if the membrane supported by the replaced lens becomes cloudy. At that time, an opening can be made in the cloudy membrane, with the laser, to help restore vision.