Everyday, scientists try to find better ways of curing diseases. They ercently discovered that lasers are effective to this end. Lasers are more accurate, less damaging and, therefore, safer.

      LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The laser is an electronic device that emits an extremely intense beam of energy, in the form of light rays. The beam of light that a laser produces is different from ordinary light. Ordinary light is a mixture of many wavelengths, or colors, and as a result, the light appears to be white. Laser light is monochromatic, or of a single color. That is, all the light waves in the beam have the same wavelength. The light laser beam is much more powerful than ordinary light. It can travel much farther. The light rays can go in exactly the same direction, which is not possible with ordinary light.

How are lasers used in medicine?

      A laser can produce beams that are powerful enough to burn off or cut through an object, making it useful in the field of medicine. Generally, the laser serves as a tool for a) cutting; b) vaporizing--when matter converts into gas or vapor; and c) coagulating--when liquid thickens to form a mass (like a blood clot). Use of the laser varies, according to the color or wavelength of the laser light. Each color and wavelength is absorbed differently by the human body, depending on the cell pigment and water content of the body. For instance, the CO₂ laser is used for cutting and vaporizing. It can only penetrate tissues superficially, because its energy is readily absorbed by the water in your cells. The CO₂ laser is used to vaporize warts, keloids and vascular lesions. Lasers are also used to destroy damaged or diseased tissues. A beam of laser light is directed onto tissue. It is then converted into heat energy. When cells absorb this energy, they heat up, lose their moisture, and are destroyed.

Are lasers better instruments of healing?

      Lasers destroy cells with greater precision and accuracy. They cause less bleeding, swelling and postoperative pains. In surgery, a scalpel is the conventional tool for cutting tissues. Bleeding is always involved. But lasers can take the place of scalpels and allow doctors to perform bloodless surgery. The beam cauterizes blood vessels as it cuts through the tissue, causing little bleeding or none at all. Lasers can even speed up operations. This is true, particularly, in treatng retinal detachments. The retina is a light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. When it tears loose from the ball, blindness may result. When a laser beam is focused through the lens of the eye, the burning ray causes scar tissues to form at the point of separation. This reattaches the retina to the tissues underneath it. Conventional methods take hours to do this, but the laser beam can reattach the retina in a thousandth of a second.

      Scientists are just beginning to see how varied the uses of lasers can be. At this very minute, they may be on the verge of another discovery that will give you a better glimpse of the great extent of the laser's power to heal.