Pressure stimulation of retinal ganglion cells with femtosecond laser in laser-induced breakdown regime

The advanced technology of ultrashort pulse laser has given many useful biomedical applications such as micro- and nanosurgery on a cellular and subcellular level, excimer laser refractive surgery (LASIK), protein or cell organelles activation or inactivation, and optogenetics. Here, we argue that the same technology can also be applied to stimulate the neurons in the retina mechanically with the pressure (pressure stimulation) generated from Laser Induced Breakdown (LIB) regime using femtosecond laser. Stimulating retinal cell with pressure is rarely discussed because of considerable difficulties to invoke pressure waves precisely, effectively, and safely into the eye. We investigated these problems theoretically to show that the generated pressure waves could be used to stimulate the neurons in the retina. This new technique might provide a way to understand deeper the roles of mechanical cues in the human visual system and to create an alternative phosphene-based retinal prosthetic.