Laser surgery is a relatively new form of surgery which makes use of an intense laser (compared to the use of a scalpel) in order to cut medical tissue. One of the most common types of laser surgery is Leg Surgery (also known as Microsurgery). It involves making incisions on the patient’s lower leg where leg bones are broken, creating enough space for a surgeon to perform surgery. Laser surgery has also been found to be effective in removing warts and making scars from major surgeries. It is also useful in treating pain in areas such as the chest and back, and reducing pain caused by arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, and osteoarthritis.
Lasers may be used in many other forms of surgery as well; some of these include mammoplasty, gastroscopy, microsurgery, pediatrics, dermatology, and even cosmetic surgery. The lasers used in these other types of surgery can have slightly different properties from that of coagulation lasers, although they are often very similar. In any case, lasers are used to treat various forms of bodily tissue with an intense light beam, usually of green or blue colour. There are now many different types of lasers used for laser surgery – although some lasers do remain relatively similar to one another. These coagulation lasers are the most common type used; although there are other less-common types of laser surgery which also produce comparable results.
Some of these less common types of laser surgery include fractionated carbon dioxide laser surgery (FCCL), pulsed-dye laser surgery (PDL), and vascular laser surgery. A carbon dioxide laser (or CCL) is a form of laser surgery which utilises low levels of carbon dioxide in order to kill cancer cells. Pulsed dye laser surgery (PDL) utilises a series of high-energy laser beams, each directed at cancerous cells. A vascular laser surgery uses light from a laser, targeting a damaged blood vessel, to damage the affected area, stopping the blood flow. A small ablation procedure may also be carried out using this type of laser surgery.
One of the more unusual laser surgery uses an x-ray of the patient’s body; although it is still considered relatively new, it has become quite popular. This is because unlike regular surgical procedures, it does not require a general anaesthetic, nor does it require surgery around the patient’s body. Instead, the surgeon holds a handheld x-ray scanner device and scans the specific areas of the patient’s body that he or she needs to. After holding the scanner in front of the subject, the surgeon then places the subject inside a protective capsule, which is connected to the computerised x-ray machine.
Laser surgery of the eye, rather than the surgical procedures carried out to correct vision, corrects the focusing power of a patient’s cornea. When the cornea becomes misaligned, vision can be affected because the eye cannot focus an image onto the retina, which normally happens when light is reflected off a distorted cornea. For example, when a person stares into a bright light, but his or her eye cannot focus the image because the cornea is imperfect, they will see shimmering spots of light which form when the eye tries to focus on the object. Because normal vision affects how a cornea focuses, laser surgery can correct the focusing power, therefore making vision clearer.
In a similar way, a patient undergoing cataract surgery also benefits from improved vision. Cataract is usually caused by old age, so the majority of sufferers are elderly, but some younger people can also suffer from this condition. A specialised, dry eyes treatment can help improve this particular problem, therefore allowing the patient to see more clearly.
