Experimental photocoagulation of the human retina. I. Correlation of physical, clinical, and pathologic data
M. O. Tso, I. H. Wallow and S. Elgin
Thirty-eight retinal burns were inflicted by a modified xenon-arc
photocoagulator in the eyes of eight human volunteers. The ophthalmoscopic
characteristics of these lesions were correlated with the degree of
histopathologic damage. Definitive clinical criteria that helped to predict
the severity of the retinal burns were established. The dose of radiant
energy received was further correlated with the histopathologic changes in
determining the threshold of safety standards of bright flashes of white
light to the human eye. Lesions from patients with blue irises were
produced by considerably higher dose rates than comparable lesions from
patients with brown irises and the fovea was more susceptible to damage
than the rest of the retina.
