Lasers produce beams of tightly focussed light energy that can either cut, or burn tissue. Although this may sound alarming, lasers are powerful tools in preventing blindness in a wide variety of conditions. These include retinal tears and detachments and the sight-threatening complications of diabetes, for example haemorrhage inside the eye and retinal oedema (swelling at the back of the eye).
There are various types of lasers for treating eye problems and they may be used either in the eye clinic, or in the operating theatre.