Laser surgery is surgery

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 using a laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

 to cut tissue

Tissue (biology)

Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

 instead of a scalpel

Scalpel

A scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts . Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpenable blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable...

. Examples include the use of a laser scalpel

Laser scalpel

A laser scalpel is a scalpel for surgery, cutting or ablating living biological tissue by the energy of laser light. In soft tissue laser surgery, a laser beam ablates or vaporizes the soft tissue with high water content....

 in otherwise conventional surgery, and soft tissue laser surgery

Soft tissue laser surgery

In soft tissue laser surgery, interaction of laser light with the soft tissue provides a special approach to surgery. A highly focused laser beam vaporizes the soft tissue with the high water content. Laser can make very small incisions when the beam is focused on the tissue...

, in which the laser beam vaporizes soft tissue

Soft tissue

In anatomy, the term soft tissue refers to tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body, not being bone. Soft tissue includes tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, fibrous tissues, fat, and synovial membranes , and muscles, nerves and blood vessels .It is sometimes...

 with high water content. Laser resurfacing is a technique in which molecular bonds of a material are dissolved by a laser.
Laser surgery is commonly used on the eye

Human eye

The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...

. Techniques used include LASIK

LASIK

LASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...

, which is used to correct near and far-sightedness in vision, and photorefractive keratectomy

Photorefractive keratectomy

Photorefractive keratectomy and Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The first PRK procedure was performed in 1987 by Dr. Theo Seiler, then at the Free University...

, a procedure which permanently reshapes the cornea using an excimer laser

Excimer laser

An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....

to remove a small amount of tissue.

Green laser surgery is used for the treatment/reduction of enlarged prostates.
Laser surgery is much safer than normal surgery as it makes no physical contact so no infections are spread.

The word Laser is an acronym, meaning: Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.