LATITUDE
LOOKING GOOD Dr. Nir Katchinskiy, E.I.T., left, peeks through his laser equipment with his research supervisor, Dr. Abdul Elezzabi, P.Eng. -photo courtesy University of Alberta
U OF A RESEARCHER SEES A FUTURE IN ULTRAFAST LASER SURGERY Laser surgery is a common fix for nearsightedness, astigmatism, and other vision problems. But for the treatment of diseases like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma—two of the leading causes of blindness—its use is far from routine. That’s because current laser technologies can damage nerve cells and even cause additional vision loss. Those high risks may be on their way out, thanks to work by Dr. Nir Katchinskiy, E.I.T., an electrical engineering researcher at the University of Alberta. He’s looking at ways to harness the speed and accuracy
of lasers without causing damage to healthy tissue. The process starts with an ultrafast laser that pulses at a quadrillionth of a second,
called a femtosecond laser. Operating on a nano scale, it’s precise enough to allow surgery on a single cell—or even part of a cell—without affecting surrounding cells. Dr. Katchinskiy is developing a new platform that combines femtosecond lasers with two advanced imaging techniques, called optical coherence tomography and scanning laser ophthalmology. He’s confident enough in his new approach to laser surgery that he’s launched PulseMedica, a startup that will continue testing the technology and bring it to market.
54 | PEG SPRING 2019
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