Follow up study of near infrared (1100 to 1319 nm) retinal damage thresholds and trends

A study of retinal damage thresholds in non-human primates (NHP) in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths of 1110, 1130, 1150, and 1319 nm has recently been reported. The progression of damage in retinal areas that received exposures below, greater than, and at threshold values for each respective wavelength are compared. Subjects were imaged using an Adaptive Optics (AO) enhanced Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomographer (SD-OCT) a year post laser exposure to examine damage characteristics and localization. The subject's retinas within the study exhibited a delayed response to NIR exposures in that many of the lesions that were not visible at the 1-hour observation period continued to grow in size over the 24-hour period and or became visible. Thermal lensing is believed to play a significant role in the formation or retinal lesions in the NIR and may explain the delayed response.