Pulsed lasers with ultrashort pulse durations have become ubiquitous in a variety of applications, including laser eye surgery. Therefore, the role of nonlinear optical effects, such as supercontinuum generation, needs to be considered when evaluating their potential hazard. We used a NIR femtosecond laser to generate a supercontinuum within an artificial eye. We recorded the visible spectra of the supercontinuum generated and calculated the energy contained within the visible band. Our results indicate that for certain exposure conditions, the supercontinuum’s energy within the visible range surpasses the maximum permissible energy allowed for visible wavelengths by the laser safety standards.
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