Scientists began investigating the potential uses of lasers for medicine not long after they were developed in 1960. Lasers were first employed in medicine in 1961 to cure detached retinas and skin discolorations. The laser is well suited to a wide range of applications because of its ability to focus a significant amount of power in a very small solid angle. Currently, lasers are employed extensively in a variety of medical applications. These include aesthetic procedures like laser hair removal, tattoo removal, and liposuction, as well as surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, angioplasty, cancer treatment, and urology.
As well a valuable and essential tool for the treatment and intervention of some pathological that are otherwise incurable, lasers have unique properties such as high directionality and high spatial and temporal accuracy, an excellent hemostatic effect, and a reduction of pain and post-operative complications.
In the medical field, it makes use of the properties of the different biological tissues to absorb laser light selectively while leaving the surrounding tissues unharmed. When laser radiation reaches human cells, a variety of unique processes, including reflection, transmission, scattering, re-emission, and absorption, may take place. Since the wavelength controls both the value of the absorption coefficient and its inverse, or rather, the depths of the laser light's absorption, it is essential to understanding how a laser interacts with matter. The most important element is the absorption phenomena. Water, melanin, and oxyhemoglobin are the three main components in tissues that absorb laser light.
In reality, lesions that are treatable using laparoscopy or endoscopy techniques, such as those in thoracic surgery, gynecology, urology, or neurosurgery, can also be treated in addition to superficial lesions. The primary uses of lasers in ophthalmology, and specifically in the anterior portion of the eye, are in the fields of cataract and corneal surgery.
To be able to considerably improve the quality of life of every living thing, it is also necessary to keep in mind the significance of laser welding in the production of medical devices such as filters, medical packaging, catheters, and prostheses.