LONDON , England -- A new tool that allows doctors to use laser surgery in complex operations has been hailed as a breakthrough in minimally invasive laser technology . This fiber optic tool is made from the perfect mirror , making it possible to reflect CO2 lasers for the first time . Originally designed as a military tool for the United States Department of Defense ( DOD ) , the fiber-optic invention is revolutionizing the ways surgeons carry out brain surgeries . The `` Omni directional dielectric mirror '' was created by Professor Yoel Fink , a then-29-year-old student in Material Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) in 1995 . `` I was asked to participate in a project funded by the DOD to create the perfect mirror , '' Fink told CNN . `` The perfect mirror reflects light from all angles and does not absorb any of it . It could have been used , for example , to reflect back enemy laser beams , '' he continued . DARPA , the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , a subsection of the DOD , specialize in technologies they believe are about 25 years away from being realized and try to make them happen in five years ' time . But they did n't have a long wait before they found their perfect mirror . `` To my own surprise , I found the answer during the very first meeting . I thought everyone would laugh at my suggestion , so I waited until the last two minutes to talk and after I did , the room just fell silent , '' Fink , a former commander in the Israeli army , told CNN . He found that by taking two materials with different optical properties ( one being a semi-conducting glass and one being a polymer ) and stacking these two up in very tight and ultra thin layers , around 1 micron each ( 1/1000 of a millimeter ) , they create an omni-reflector . The most important part of his discovery , however , was that by changing only the thickness and distance of the layers , the `` perfect mirror '' could reflect any type of electromagnetic energy in any wavelength . This meant Fink 's invention was useful not only in the military and telecommunications field , but could also be used in minimally invasive laser surgery -- the use of lasers rather than scalpels to operate on everything from tumors , deafness and spine injuries . This type of surgery is known to reduce recovery time , the likelihood of complications and incision size . In many cases , patients also spend less time `` under the knife . '' Fink then set about creating a pen-shaped fiber-optic tool that could allow surgeons to easily manipulate the laser and bend it to reach almost any tissue in the body . The results , according to some surgeons who have used it , are astonishing . Dr. Stanley Shapshay , a renowned American Ear Nose and Throat surgeon and former president of the Triological Society told CNN : `` When Yoel first called me to show me his fiber-optic tool made out of this perfect mirror , I was very skeptical as I had seen many unsuccessful trials . '' `` But as soon as we did the first tests , I was simply blown away , '' he added . Dr. Shapshay has now performed over 100 operations with the `` perfect mirror laser '' and says he finds it almost easier to use than a scalpel . Dr. Bendok , a senior neurosurgeon at Northwestern University in the United States , along with his partner , otolaryngologist Dr Andrew Fishman , also rave about the benefit of the fiber optic tool in minimally invasive surgery . In a recent case , Dr. Bendok 's patient had a tumor at the base of the brain , a tumor that could have been more difficult and dangerous to remove without Fink 's device . `` Using the scalpel could have caused a stroke , '' Dr. Fishman told CNN . `` Instead we used CO2 laser to melt the tumor and then shave it off . '' The whole operation took less than an hour and the patient recovered in only three days . According to Dr. Shapshay , the perfect mirror is also an important development because , for years , doctors were able to treat patients with lasers in only limited circumstances and with many complications . Until the `` perfect mirror '' came along there were no fibers that could transport the safer CO2 lasers . Surgeons had to shoot the laser beam directly from its large generator and could do so only at a straight angle , rendering it impossible to reach deeper tissues . `` At the time , CO2 lasers were like the perfect weapon for soldiers , but one that also happened to weigh five tons . They were very cumbersome , '' says Dr. Shapshay . The surgeons believe laser technology will now become more widespread with the avenue of this tool that is `` easy and intuitive to use . '' Next on Fink 's to-do list is to take his fibers worldwide , especially in Europe , the Middle East and Asia . His company , Omni Guide , aims to expand the tool globally : most clinics using it are currently in the United States . `` I hope it can help patients around the world , '' he said .
Perfect Mirror is used to simplify and expand use of minimally invasive laser surgery . Some surgeons say new tool is easier to use than a scalpel and safer for patients . Senior neurosurgeon saw patient with brain tumor recover in three days . Score: 7