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By bouncing sound waves off tiny bubbles that are generated inside eye tissue, Dr. Stanislav Emelianov at The University of Texas at Austin is developing a new tool that could improve the outcome of LASIK surgery and address common eye conditions. |
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Photo at left: Emelianov with a side view of a human eye. The assistant professor of biomedical engineering and colleagues will use a five-year, $1.6 million grant to use laser-induced microbubbles as atool to assist with laser treatment of vision impairing diseases of the human eye. Emelianov directs the Ultrasound Imaging and Therapeutics Research Laboratory on campus. |
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Photo at left: During LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) a surgeon guides a pulsed laser to create a uniform layer of bubbles beneath the upper surface of the cornea. The cut flap is then lifted, and an excimer laser (blue light) reshapes the corneal interior by vaporizing the exposed tissue under the flap. Using microbubbles generated by a pulsed laser to probe the stiffness of cornea tissue before LASIK would allow eye surgeons to adjust how much tissue they remove so the cornea doesn't undergo remodeling, which can alter visual outcomes. |
