ABSTRACT
Presently, a laser with sufficient intensity to cut optical tissue is focused directly into the eye in order to improve human vision. This procedure is not science fiction; it is one that is performed thousands of times per day worldwide. It is one of the most successful industrial applications of femtosecond laser surgery and material processing. The development of this technology required femtosecond lasers and pulse shaping, at least to the extent required to deliver reproducibly femtosecond pulses to the cornea. Success in refractive surgery inspired ophthalmologists to address the need for skilled surgeons to perform cataract surgery. The femtosecond laser can also be used to modify the index of refraction of transparent materials. Within transparent materials, one is able to trace a circuit, in a sense writing a waveguide for light. This approach has been demonstrated and has been used for some applications.
