Variety of uses for laser surgery

Laser Treatments

A laser is a pure and intense beam of light, which when it strikes the body is converted into heat energy and burns it's way into tissue.

Two main types of laser treatment used are low intensity beams to reduce inflammation, pain and swelling in strained muscles, joints and ligaments and high intensity lasers to cut through tissues, yet at the same time stopping blood loss by coagulating the blood.

Lasers in eye surgery


Diabetes: here blood vessels at the back of the eye (retina) deteriorate depriving the tissue of oxygen. Lasers can burn small areas of the periphery of the retina so that the remaining retina has an improved oxygen supply. Vision is only minimally impaired.

Glaucoma: lasers can produce a small hole in the iris to relieve the pressure that builds up inside the eye.

Retinal detachment: here the retina becomes loosened from the back of the eye, with severe loss of vision. Lasers can seal the retina onto the back of the eye chamber.

Short sightedness: laser surgery is used to change the contour of the cornea (the clear outer part of the eye, overlying the pupil and the coloured part of the eye the iris). This takes only minutes, is performed under local anaesthetic, and after 3 months then the other eye is treated. Glasses and contact lenses are no longer needed. Success is achieved in 80 - 90% of patients! Many clinics offer this laser treatment, but with the laser machine costing about £250,000, very few are offered on the NHS!

Other Areas


Lasers can destroy enlarged abnormal blood vessels in disfiguring birthmarks, allowing normal ones to grow in their place. Treatment can be started on children as young as 6 months.

Cervical cancer in it's early stages is often treated with laser therapy, because it produces very little scarring of the cervix which could affect childbirth at later date.

Lasers are being tried on breast cancers, and deeply seated advanced cancers without producing scars! Even a haemorrhage from a stomach ulcer can be stopped by firing a laser down a flexible tube into the stomach, hence removing the need for an operation.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : This content is from the Dr Chris Steele personal archive and is provided for convenience only. Information contained here may no longer agree with the most up to date medical advice. Please check with a medical professional before taking any action.

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