Dr. Steven Bloom recently published the second edition of his book, “Laser Surgery of the Posterior Segment”. Laser photocoagulation is used to prevent blindness from numerous vascular, degenerative, and infectious ocular conditions. The 400-page textbook condenses the world’s literature into a concise resource for diseases treated with laser surgery. The book has become a standard for teaching doctors worldwide about how to perform retinal laser surgery.
A laser is an instrument that produces a pure, high-intensity beam of light energy. The laser light can be focused onto the retina, the film that lines the inside of the eye, selectively treating the desired area while leaving the surrounding tissues untouched. The absorbed energy heats, or photocoagulates, the retina creating a microscopic burn. The laser is used to seal the leaking vessels, destroy abnormal tissues, or weld tissues together. Retinal laser surgery is an in-office procedure, is usually painless, and takes less than 30 minutes to complete.