Laser apparatus for treatment of a cataractous lens

An apparatus for disruption of cataracts in lens tissue enclosed by at least one of aqueous humour or vitreous humour, the apparatus comprising:

• a source of energy for emitting pulsed laser radiation, the source being controllable to select a pulsing rate of the pulsed laser radiation;
• an optical waveguide configured to transmit the pulsed laser radiation from the source to the cataracts in the lens tissue, the optical waveguide being coupleable to the source at a proximal end of the optical waveguide to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the source;
• the pulsed laser radiation being controlled to exhibit conditions at a distal end of the optical waveguide such that a light intensity which exits the optical waveguide is sufficient to produce microdisruption of the lens tissue by impulsive heat deposition, the conditions including:
• a wavelength in a range of 2700 nm to 3300 nm, the wavelength being selected to match an absorption peak of at least one component of the lens tissue;
• wherein the wavelength causes the pulsed laser radiation to produce laser pulses having an energy sufficient to cause, when the laser pulses are absorbed in a volume of material irradiated by the laser pulses, superheated temperatures above a vaporization point of at least one component of the material contained in the laser irradiated volume;
• and
• a pulse duration time in a range of 10 ps to 10 ns, the pulse duration time being selected such that each pulse duration time is shorter than a time required for thermal diffusion out of the laser irradiated volume and shorter than a time required for a thermally driven expansion of the laser irradiated volume to avoid shock wave propagation in the lens tissue;
• wherein the combination of selected pulse duration time and selected pulse energy is low enough to result in a peak intensity of each laser pulse below a threshold for ionization- driven ablation to occur in the irradiated material;
• wherein the conditions are selected to result in conversion of a majority of the energy contained in each laser pulse to ablation of the material in the volume with any residual energy being insufficient to substantially damage material surrounding the volume irradiated by the pulsed laser;
• and
• wherein, the apparatus further comprises a handle to insert and control the position of the distal end of the optical waveguide inside the lens tissue.