Clinical Photocoagulation With the Krypton Laser

The first clinical application of the krypton laser has been reported. Ten patients with vascular retinopathies were photocoagulated with the monochromatic yellow krypton laser emission at λ568.2 nm λ5,682 Angstroms) and coagulations ranging between 150μ to 250μ in diameter were produced after one-fourth to onehalf second exposures with power levels of 100 to 250 milliwatts. The krypton laser can effectively treat ophthalmic vascular and chorioretinal abnormalities with certain advantages over other lasers, but, presently, its relatively weak output power limits its effectiveness in many cases.