Histopathology of Argon Laser-Induced Retinal Lesions

摘要

The purpose of this project was to obtain information on the biologic effects of the argon laser on the retina. After owl and rhesus monkeys were exposed to a continuous wave argon laser the eyes were evaluated. Serial sections were cut with a microtome through the suspicious retinal areas in order to determine the presence or absence of retinal damage. Both methods--the serial sections of the suspicious retinal lesions and the flat-mount retinal pigment epithelial preparations--gave very satisfactory information on 'threshold' argon laser retinal lesions. The flat-mount preparations, however, proved to be the quickest and most useful method. Both methods enabled us to show that the histopathology correlated excellently with the clinically seen retinal lesions. The flat-mount preparations proved to be slightly more sensitive than ophthalmoscopic observations in identifying 'threshold' retinal lesions. The pigment epithelium was the most sensitive area of the retina exposed to 'threshold' argon laser energies. The photoreceptor and outer nuclear layers were the next most sensitive retinal areas. The inner layers of the retina seemed to be relatively unaffected by the argon laser at 'threshold' energies. (Author)