A device for improved surgical procedures to remove unwanted or hyperplasic tissue from a patient during laser ablation, urological treatments, benign prostatic hyperplasia treatments and other applications. Specially prepared optical waveguide tips allow for enhanced irradiation of desired tissues with light sources including laser diodes, bright LEDs or lamps. A significant fraction of the optical radiation, being transported in the waveguide, is coupled out of the waveguide into the surrounding medium through a peripheral surface at or near the distal end. The optical radiation is chosen to have an appropriate wavelength and sufficient power density, so that the surrounding medium will be changed in the vicinity of at least a part of the peripheral surface area. The changes of the surrounding medium result in a change of its refractive index such that the optical radiation is redirected.