Recommendation on the use of protective eyewear in endourological laser procedures.
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Authors
Lister, Tom
Batchelor, Stan
Regan, Mike
Britton, Jason
Ratan, Hari
Al-Jaafari, Feras
Patterson, Jake
Issue Date
2025-02-01
Type
Journal Article
Review
Review
Language
en
Keywords
Ho:YAG , TFL , ergonomics , eyewear , holmium , laser safety , personal protective equipment , thulium , thulium fibre laser
Alternative Title
Abstract
Objectives: This work examines the current evidence available regarding the risks of eye injury in endourology laser environments with the aim of providing a consensus recommendation on the appropriate use of protective eyewear.
Methods: A working group was set up consisting of urological surgeons and laser protection advisors. A literature review was conducted to identify articles relevant to endourology practice and the commonly used lasers, and these were reviewed by the working group. Searches of the medical device fault/reporting databases were also undertaken. A consensus was developed and shared with stakeholders.
Results: No reports of eye injuries from Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, or Thulium Fibre Lasers (TFLs) were identified, although reports of skin burns and equipment-related fires were found. Available evidence suggests that ocular risks in endourology from these lasers are minimal and limited to rare cases of reversible corneal damage. Protective eyewear can further reduce this risk. However, Lasers with wavelengths below 1400 nm pose significant ocular risks, including blindness.
Conclusion: Personnel working in an endourology environment using Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, or TFLs face minimal ocular risks when adhering to established safety procedures, and laser-specific eyewear may not always be essential. This requires an understanding of the hazards and risks and is in accordance with the recommendations herein, which should form the basis for relevant local rules. Protective eyewear remains critical when using visible and near-infrared lasers due to the heightened associated ocular risks.
Description
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use,distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.BJU Int 2025 doi:10.1111/bju.16664Review
Citation
Lister, T.; Batchelor, S.; Regan, M.; Britton, J.; Ratan, H.; Al-Jaafari, F.; Patterson, J.; & British Medical Laser Association and the British Association of Urological Surgeons Endourology Section (2025). 'Recommendation on the use of protective eyewear in endourological laser procedures', BJU International. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.16664
Publisher
Wiley
License
© 2025 The Author(s). BJU International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of BJU International.
Journal
BJU international
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
ISSN
1464-410X