Monochromatic Endoillumination - Exploring the rainbow
David R. Chow (Harvey)
Purpose: To evaluate whether monochromatic
endoillumination offers any advantages during
vitreoretinal surgery with respect to safety, power capabilities and the
viewing environment.
Methods: Various filters were added to the Synergetics Photon Xenon light
source to create monochromatic bands for evaluation. Each of these filters
were evaluated with respect to the viewing environment they created and
also with respect to their aphakic hazard calculations and power capabilities.
Results: After evaluating various filters, heavily filtered yellow light
was found to provide a very comfortable viewing environment along with
an increase in safety of 10X! Given this increased safety and the power
capabilities of the Photon Xenon light source, the power output of light
probes can be increased to 3-4X the current power levels while still providing
a safety threshold 3-4X our current capabilities. This increased illumination
provides better intraocular visualization.
Conclusion: Heavily filtered Yellow light on the Photon Xenon light source
can provide a safer brighter viewing environment which is comfortable
to operate in.