Use of lasers in ophthalmic surgery

The various kinds of lasers used in ophthalmology, namely, ruby, continuous-wave noble gas ion, frequency-doubled neodymium:YAG, dye, CO/sub 2/, neodymium:YAG, and excimer laser at /spl lambda/193 nm, are briefly reviewed relative to the characteristics that make them useful for ophthalmic surgery. A personal account is given of the history of the argon ion laser and its applications in this regard. A commercially important laser, the excimer laser at /spl lambda/193 nm, used for correction of vision errors is discussed in some detail since the mechanisms are still in dispute and the details are of interest. The author has had some involvement with the use of this laser.