A forward firing optical fiber assembly includes an optical fiber and a capillary tube. The optical fiber includes a substantially flat end face at a distal end of the optical fiber that extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber. The capillary tube includes a rounded distal tip, and the distal end of the optical fiber disposed within the capillary tube such that the end face of the optical fiber is disposed a distance from an interior distal end of the capillary tube. The forward firing optical fiber assembly includes a fusion region between the optical fiber and capillary tube configured to hermetically seal the end face within the capillary tube.
