Smith, 1994  Title: Probabilistic laser safety: ocular damage
models for Q-switched neodymium and ruby lasers.
Author: Smith PA
Journal: Health Phys 1994 Apr;66(4):414-9
PMID: 8138407
Affiliated institution: Royal Air
Force Institute of Aviation Medicine, Farnborough, Hampshire,
UK.
Cited in:
While there have been no documented cases
of eye injury from laser hair removal at this time, the possibility
exists. This article suggests a damage model for laser safety
parameters, using Nd:YAG and ruby lasers as examples.
International standards for the protection
of the eyes from the hazards of laser radiation define a nominal
ocular hazard distance as a distance beyond which an individual
would not be expected to suffer any adverse biological effects.
The nominal ocular hazard distance, and any associated hazard
zones, are calculated using a deterministic technique. This technique
does not consider the likelihood that an eye will be irradiated,
or the probability that if any eye is exposed, then some level
of ocular damage will result. An alternative method of hazard
assessment, without compromising safety, is to adopt a probabilistic
approach in which the ultimate safety criterion is that the expectation
of someone receiving ocular damage must be less than some acceptable
risk level. An important element in this assessment is an ocular
damage model, which predicts the probability with which a laser
exposure will cause permanent eye damage. This paper describes
a rationale for the use of the minimum ophthalmoscopically visible
lesion as a threshold criterion for the development of ocular
damage models. A brief review of existing ocular damage threshold
data for Q-switched neodymium:YAG and ruby lasers is presented,
and ocular damage models for these lasers systems are derived.
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