Light in medicine
Lect.18
• Light is a transverse, electromagnetic
wave that can be seen by humans.
• Light is made of billions of tiny particles
called photons.
the wavelengths visible to humans occupy a very
narrow band, from about 700 nanometers for red
light down to about 400 nm for violet light.
The velocity of light in vacuum is 3×.
Properties of light
A.Refraction: The speed of light changes when it
goes from one material into another. The ratio of the
speed of light in a vacuum to its speed in a given
material is called the index of refraction.
B.Diffraction:
• Diffraction is the slight bending of light as it passes around
the edge of an object. The amount of bending depends on the
relative size of the wavelength of light to the size of the
opening.
• The breaking up of a ray of light into dark and light bands or
into the colors of the spectrum, caused by the interference of
one part of a beam with another, as when the ray is deflected
at the edge of an opaque object or passes through a narrow slit
Light behaves both as a wave and a particle. As a wave
it produces interference and diffraction. As a particle it
.can be absorbed by a single molecule
C.Reflection: light is reflected to some
extent from all surfaces There are two
types of reflection:
• Diffuse reflection occurs when rough surfaces
scatter the light in many directions.
• Specular reflection is obtained from very
smooth shiny surfaces such as mirrors where
the light is reflected at an angle that is equal to
the angle at which it strikes the surface.
D.Fluorescence: Some time when alight photon is
absorbed, a lower energy light photon is emitted. This
property is known as fluorescence.
When light is absorbed, its energy generally
appears as heat. This property is the basis for the
use IR light to heat tissues. Also the heat produced
by laser beams is used to weld a detached retina to
the back of eyeball and to coagulate small blood
vessels in retina.
MEASUREMENT OF LIGHT AND
ITS UNITS
•
The three general categories of light-UV, Visible, and
IR- are defined in terms of their wavelengths.
Wavelength of light used to be measured in:
• Microns 1 μ = m.
• Angstroms 1 A° = m
• Nanometer 1 nm= m
-Ultraviolet light has wavelengths from 100 to 400nm •
-Visible light has wavelengths 400 to 700nm
-IR light has wavelengths from 700 to nm.
Each of these categories subdivided according to
wavelength.
Ultraviolet :
UV-A has wave lengths from 320 – 400nm
UV-B has wavelengths from 290 -320nm
UV-C has wavelengths from 100 – 290nm
Visible light is measured in photometric units:
illuminance the quantity of light striking a surface.
Luminance the intensity of a light source.
UV and IR radiation can be measured in radiometric
units
Irradiance the quantity of light striking a surface.
Radiance the intensity of a light source.
APPLICATIONS OF VISIBLE LIGHT IN
MEDICINE
1. Pediatricians use a shine light into the bodies of
infants and observe the amount of scattered light
produced in order to detect water – head or collapsed
lung.
2. Pediatricians use visible light for treating jaundice in
premature infants.
3. Physician use normal light to examine the skin.
4. An endoscope works by inserting a long, thin and bendable
tube into the body(figure8). On one end is a light source
and in most cases also a video camera. The endoscope can
be inserted through a natural opening in the body such as
the throat or it can be inserted through a cut made in the
skin.
5. The visible light used in the ophthalmoscope
for looking into eyes, and in the otoscope for
looking into ears.
Applications of light of light in
dentistry
• Dental diagnostic illumination light.
• Dental curing light.
• Oral light therapy, in the form of low level
lasers.
• Bleaching lights for tooth whitening.
