Optical fibers for medical applications have become essential tools in modern healthcare, enabling a wide range of minimally invasive diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical procedures. These fibers are specially designed to transmit light with high precision, flexibility, and biocompatibility, allowing clinicians to access hard-to-reach areas of the human body with minimal trauma. In diagnostics, optical fibers are integral to endoscopic systems, where they deliver illumination and transmit high-resolution images from within the body, supporting real-time visualization in gastroenterology, urology, and respiratory medicine. In therapeutic applications, fiber-delivered lasers are used for precise tissue ablation, photocoagulation, or lithotripsy, particularly in ophthalmology, dermatology, and oncology. Specialty fibers, including hollow-core, photonic crystal, or fiber Bragg grating-based designs, enable advanced functions including real-time sensing of temperature, pressure, or biochemical markers, opening pathways for smart catheters and integrated monitoring tools. Furthermore, optical fibers play a crucial role in photodynamic therapy (PDT), where light-activated drugs are targeted to treat cancer or infections with minimal side effects, or robotic surgery.
We invite the whole supply chain to discuss about the latest developments and uses of optical fibers in medical applications and to understand which needs should be solved in the future.