Purpose: To test a possible mechanism for allopatric gas-bubble formation in femtosecond laser-assisted surgery using an experimental closed system.
Setting: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Methods: Plastic bottles were filled with balanced salt solution (BSS). Femtosecond laser (IntraLase) flap-mode cuts were made on the walls of the BSS bottles. After femtosecond laser application, the BSS bottles were viewed under the excimer laser microscope and the results photographed. Next, the BSS bottles and laser cuts were imaged with optical coherence tomography.
Results: In-bottle gas bubbles were consistently produced in the closed system. No cut lines crossed the inner wall of the BSS bottles.
Conclusion: Results show that in situ gas-bubble formation as a mechanism for gas-bubble formation is a possible alternative to gas traveling through the anterior segment and into the intraflap laser space.