Self-focusing limits at the laser-plasma interaction for treatment of cataract with nanosecond and picosecond pulses

Laser pulses are focused in the interior of a human eye in areas of opacity to produce there an optical breakdown resulting in a high-temperature plasma, after which the filling up with liquid results in a transparent area. The empirically given limits for Q-switch laser pulses in the nanosecond range and for mode-locked pulses in the picosecond range are analyzed, and it is shown that these limits are below the self-focusing condition of laser beams in plasmas. A further analysis evaluates theoretically where the maximum limits are given in order to provide the parameters for the highest possible pulse energy that avoids damage in the eye by self-focusing.