Multiple-pulse damage thresholds of retinal explants in the ns-time regime

Scarlett Lipp; Sebastian Kotzur; Philipp Elmlinger; Wilhelm Stork

doi:10.1364/BOE.412012

Multiple-pulse damage thresholds of retinal explants in the ns-time regime

Biomed Opt Express. 2020 Nov 23;11(12):7299-7310. doi: 10.1364/BOE.412012. eCollection 2020 Dec 1.

Authors

Scarlett Lipp^{1

2}, Sebastian Kotzur^{1

3}, Philipp Elmlinger¹, Wilhelm Stork²

Affiliations

¹ Robert Bosch GmbH, Chassis Systems Control, Herrenwiesenweg 24, Schwieberdingen, 71701, Germany.
² Karlsruher Institute of Technology, Institute for Information Processing Technologies, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Engesserstrasse 5, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany.
³ Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Strasse 7, Tübingen, 72076, Germany.

Abstract

The data situation of laser-induced damage measurements after multiple-pulse irradiation in the ns-time regime is limited. Since the laser safety standard is based on damage experiments, it is crucial to determine damage thresholds. For a better understanding of the underlying damage mechanism after repetitive irradiation, we generate damage thresholds for pulse sequences up to N = 20 000 with 1.8 ns-pulses using a square-core fiber and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Porcine retinal pigment epithelial layers were used as tissue samples, irradiated with six pulse sequences and evaluated for damage by fluorescence microscopy. The damage thresholds decreased from 31.16 µJ for N = 1 to 11.56 µJ for N = 20 000. The reduction indicates photo-chemical damage mechanisms after reaching a critical energy dose.