A hair cutting device according to the present disclosure comprises an optical waveguide. The optical waveguide comprises a light irradiator. The light irradiator irradiates hair protruding from the skin with light to cut the hair. The refractive index of the light irradiator is smaller than the refractive index of the surface of the skin. As a result, options such as the material of the optical waveguide and the like can be increased. Furthermore, for example, when the skin is appropriately irradiated with light from the light irradiator, an action on the skin such as sterilization or activation can also be expected.

Apparatus for the treatment of a target tissue with a laser beam in which the target tissue is immersed in a liquid medium within a body lumen. The laser device is configured to provide one or more laser pulses which are configured by a controller to have an energy sufficient to form one or more vapor bubbles in the liquid medium at the distal delivery end of the fiber. The one or more pulses are configured by the controller to: first, cause a vapor bubble to be formed distally of the distal end portion of the endoscope and around the distal delivery end of the optical fiber; second, cause a second bubble to be formed distally of the first bubble; and, third, inflate the second bubble as the first bubble has begun to collapse to expand an amount sufficient to displace a substantial portion of the liquid medium from the space between the distal delivery end of the fiber and the target tissue.

Described herein are methods, devices, and support structures for assembling optical fibers in catheter tips and facilitating alignment and structural support. A method for assembling a plurality of optical fibers and lenses in a support structure for an ablation catheter includes providing a support structure with a proximal end, a body, and a distal end, the distal end including a plurality of alignment orifices or slits. A plurality of optical fibers are threaded through the alignment orifices or slits, such that each optical fiber is threaded through a corresponding alignment orifice or slit. An adhesive material is applied at each alignment orifice or slit to secure the optical fibers, and the plurality of optical fibers are then cleaved at the distal end to remove portions of the fibers extending out of the distal end. Finally, a lens is attached to each of the ends of the plurality of optical fibers.

A probe of a target identification system can be extended via a first lumen of a viewing instrument, such as for illuminating an area beyond a distal end of the viewing instrument via an optical path of the viewing instrument. An optical response to the illumination of the area can be received via an optical path of the probe and can be split from other optical signals of the optical path. The optical response information can be used to identify characteristics of a target and to adjust parameters of a working instrument such as a working instrument contemporaneously using the probe.

Apparatus and methods for tissue excision. In certain aspects, the apparatus and methods include an annular converging laser beam. The annular converging laser beam can be directed to a surface of a tissue and displace a portion of the tissue in a single or multiple laser pulses. In particular aspects, the dosimetry of the laser beam (e.g. the beam shape, pulse energy and pulse duration) can be controlled to eject the portion of the tissue in a manner to reduce damage to the displaced tissue and the surrounding tissue.

A tapered fiber optoacoustic emitter includes a nanosecond laser configured to emit laser pulses and an optic fiber. The optic fiber includes a tip configured to guide the laser pulses. The tip has a coating including a diffusion layer and a thermal expansion layer, wherein the diffusion layer includes epoxy and zinc oxide nanoparticles configured to diffuse the light while restricting localized heating. The thermal expansion layer includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) configured to convert the laser pulses to generate ultrasound. The frequency of the ultrasound is tuned with a thickness of the diffusion layer and a CNT concentration of the expansion layer.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and devices for coupling optical fibers with laser surgical systems. In particular, certain aspects provide a push-pull connector and adapter for releasably coupling an optical fiber with a port of a laser surgical system. The connector and adapter facilitate mechanical lateral and rotational guidance of the optical fiber during insertion into the port to ensure proper alignment (e.g., clocking) of the optical fiber’s cores with a laser beam pattern propagated by the laser surgical system. Accordingly, the connector and adaptor enable improved coupling efficiency between the laser beam pattern and one or more cores of the optical fiber, and therefore improved power uniformity between multiple laser beams transmitted through the cores.

A diode laser system having high-power diode(s) said high-power diode(s) producing laser outputs in a range of 0.1 to 25 Watts of power using optimum wavelengths via a single optical delivery fiber.

A device configured to cut hair using laser light includes a handle portion and a shaving portion. The handle portion includes a battery and a laser light source. The laser light source is coupled to and configured to receive power from the battery. The laser light source is also configured to generate laser light having a wavelength selected to target a predetermined chromophore to effectively cut a hair shaft. The shaving portion includes a support and a single fiber optic supported by the support. The fiber optic has a proximal end, a distal end, an outer wall, and a cutting region positioned towards the distal end and extending along a portion of the side wall. The fiber optic is positioned to receive the laser light from the laser light source at the proximal end, conduct the laser light from the proximal end toward the distal end, and emit the light out of the cutting region and toward hair when the cutting region is brought in contact with the hair.

An apparatus for microdisruption of cataracts in lens tissue by impulsive heat deposition comprising: a source of pulsed laser radiation, a user input device, a control circuit, and an optical waveguide configured to transmit the pulsed laser radiation. The light intensity which exits the optical waveguide has a wavelength selected to match an absorption peak of at least one component of the lens tissue, a pulse duration time shorter than a time required for thermal diffusion out of the laser irradiation volume and shorter than a time required for a thermally driven expansion of the laser irradiated volume, and a pulse energy resulting in a peak intensity of each laser pulse below a threshold for ionization-driven ablation to occur.