Abstract
We present a preliminary study of a new method, based on the laser welding of suitably prepared patches of capsular
tissue for the closure of capsulorhexes in the lens capsule. This technique is proposed for the repair capsular breaks or
tears caused by accidental traumas or ones produced intraoperatively during standard IOL implantation. Experiments
were carried out ex vivo on freshly enucleated porcine eyes. Patches of anterior capsular tissue, collected from donor
eyes, were stained with a solution of Indocyanine Green (ICG) in sterile water. Closure tests on a capsulorhexis were
performed by welding a stained patch onto the recipient capsule, using diode laser radiation at 810 nm, which greatly
absorbed by the ICG-stained tissue. Laser radiation was delivered by means of a 200-micron-core-fiber, the tip of which
was gently pressed onto the patch surface (contact welding technique) so as to produce effective tissue welding in
underwater conditions. Laser-welded capsular tissue was found to have good resistance to mechanical load, comparable
in fact to that of healthy tissue.
