We investigated potential applications of ultrashort (femtosecond) pulsed l
aser technology in corneal refractive surgery. When compared with longer pu
lsewidth nanosecond or picosecond laser radiation, femtosecond laser-tissue
interactions are characterized by significantly smaller and more determini
stic photodisruptive energy thresholds, as well as reduced shock waves and
smaller cavitation bubbles. Femtosecond laser technology may be able to per
form a variety of corneal refractive procedures with high precision, offeri
ng advantages over current mechanical and laser devices and techniques, ena
bling entirely new approaches for refractive surgery. An analytically solva
ble shell model has been developed to predict the results of completely int
rastromal incisionless surgery for myopic and hyperopic refractive correcti
ons.