Will Photonics Find Its Place in Medicine?

Nancy D. Rowell, Associate News Editor

New medical applications for lasers and imaging seem to be around every corner, but this does not mean that doctors will invest in new systems. To incorporate lasers into their practices, doctors must find that they are both useful and economical.

For instance, lasers are required for many eye surgeries, but they are not essential for most dental procedures. Although some dentists use lasers in their practices, others have shied away because they do not find lasers more useful or economical than the tools they use now…