ABSTRACT
In many biomedical and clinical applications of lasers the accurate determination of treatment parameter such as wavelength or delivered optical power or energy, and of the spatial and temporal distribution of energy within laser-irradiated tissue, is essential to achieve the desired photobiological or clinical effect. For some purposes, it is possible to rely on the built-in dosimetry systems provided by the laser equipment manufacturer, where the user simply has to select the required treatment factors. However, as both equipment and applications become more complex and sophisticated, it is increasingly necessary either to check the laser system performance or to perform specialized measurements for particular treatment techniques, for example, the local energy fluence rate on or in target tissues. The first purpose of this chapter is to provide practical guidance in light dosimetry techniques and instrumentation. The presentation will be general, rather than specific to particular clinical applications, but the principles and approaches illustrated should enable specific measurements to be made with confidence.
