It was developed by OptiMedica, an ophthalmic medical device company located in Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale, CA).
OptiMedica founders worked together at Coherent, and based on their experience in the ophthalmic laser industry, recognized the need for improved safety, precision, comfort and speed of photocoagulation procedures for eye diseases.
[1] Ophthalmic company, Topcon Corp. has distributed the PASCAL system since 2008, and acquired OptiMedica's retina and glaucoma technology in August 2010.
In scanning applications, a control system applies an electric current proportional to the desired location of a beam of light to a high speed, sensitive, limited rotation motor called a galvanometer (commonly referred to as a galvo).
The use of a FPGA from National Instruments enables fast scanning speed and a short response time of 4 microseconds for critical measurements and controlled feedback.