Intrastromal corneal surgery in live animal models with femtosecond laser pulses

Summary form only given. Stable, non-invasive correction of refractive errors in the eye with zero loss of visual acuity is the goal of a now decade-long race. Photodisruption using focused ultrashort laser pulses is currently the only technique to potentially meet all the race goals. We have demonstrated with a femtosecond laser system two firsts: the non-invasive generation of corneal flaps and the creation of controlled, noninvasive, corneal thinning in rabbit and primate eyes in vivo.