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Safety precautions when working with lasers
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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[ Safety glasses
The first safety element when using any laser is to prevent eye damage. Damage can occur at both visible and invisible wavelengths. Most modern invisible lasers used for resurfacing have a separate, synchronous low-energy laser, usually a helium-neon laser, that serves as the "steering beam." This beam is visible when the laser is operating.
The eyes of the patient, operating room personnel, and surgeon must be protected from accidental laser injury. Everyone in the operating room must have eye protection. Protective glasses must be appropriate for the wavelength of the specific laser. The optical density and wavelength protection indicators must be marked on the frame. Protective glasses must have an optical density of at least 5. The optical density scale is exponential. Thus, an optical density of 5 means that at the wavelength marked on the frame, only one ten-thousandth of the laser energy will pass through the lenses. When working with an erbium or carbon dioxide laser, patients must either use protective glasses or keep their eyes closed with wet wipes applied to the eyelids. When treating the thinner skin of the eyelids within the bony edges of the orbit, the eyes must be protected with non-reflective metal shields.
Non-flammable coating
A damp covering or reflective foil will reduce the risk of burns from sparks.
Leather processing
Alcohol-based products should not be used for skin treatment. It is safer to use alcohol-free solutions such as Phisohex. All skin cleansers should be used with appropriate precautions.
Smoke evacuator
To capture the contents of the smoke plume generated by the laser, it is necessary to use specially designed smoke evacuators with filters.
Protective masks
Everyone in the operating room must wear a special protective mask that effectively filters infectious particles in the smoke plume. These masks have a pore size of 0.1 microns.