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The use of lasers to treat retinal disease dates back to the 1960s and the single-spot method of treatment – one foot pedal depression, one shot to the retina - was essentially unchanged until Optimedia Corporation introduced the PASCAL (Pattern Scan Laser) Photocoagulator in June 2006.
The PASCAL laser is the only laser that uses a multiple-spot pattern that can be scanned with a microprocessor-driven scanner to the retina with a single depression of the footswitch. The laser allows the operator to apply multiple spots almost simultaneously, up to 56 spots in less than 620ms. To achieve this, pulse durations are reduced by nearly a log unit to between 10 and 20 milliseconds compared with 100 to 200 milliseconds with a traditional laser. 
The PASCAL technology is especially useful in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and the John-Kenyon American Eye Institute is the only practice in the Louisville area with a PASCAL laser.
Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) has for decades been the standard for treating and preserving vision of patients suffering from proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Laser treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy involves placement of approximately 1200 laser burns in a grid pattern along areas of the retina outside of the macula. In conventional laser treatment individual burns are applied one-by-one and the procedure takes 15-20 minutes. Since this sometimes causes considerable pain, anesthetic is often injected around the eye to deaden sensation. In contrast, the PASCAL laser delivers up to 25 individual laser burns in a computer-defined pattern in a fraction of a second. In this manner, treatment can often be done up to ten times faster with significantly less pain and without the necessity of anesthetic injection. Since the pattern is computer-defined, the spots are evenly spaced with less chance of overlap (a potential safety benefit).
Dr. Lazarus has noticed a significantly reduced incidence of side effects with the PASCAL technique. The Early Treatment in Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) demonstrated significant benefit of early treatment with PRP (at the severe non-proliferative stage) in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. There has been some reluctance by retinal specialists to embrace these recommendations because of the discomfort and side effects associated with such treatment. The markedly improved patient comfort and likely decrease in side effects, according to Dr. Lazarus, make it easier to follow the ETDRS guidelines and to consequently decrease the likelihood of site-threatening diabetic complications.
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