Method and apparatus for laser surgery of the cornea

Title: Method and apparatus for laser surgery of the cornea

Related Patent Categories: Surgery, Instruments, Light Application, Ophthalmic

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Claims

The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060217688, Method and apparatus for laser surgery of the cornea.

1. A scanning laser device for ophthalmic surgery, the device comprising: a laser source for generating a beam of laser pulses, each pulse having a Gaussian-like tissue ablation profile; scanning optics for directing the beam of the laser pulses; a computer device coupled with the optics for directing each laser pulse to a location on the cornea; the computer device comprising one or more digital storage media having embedded therein programming code for programming one or more processors to perform certain operations, including: a first executable program for calculating a pulse deposit pattern by calculating the location of each laser pulse on the tissue based on overlap of the Gaussian-like ablation profile, such that upon ablation according to said calculated pulse deposit pattern, a smooth ablated surface is provided on the tissue; and a second executable program for directing each of the lasers pulses to locations on the tissue in accordance with the pulse locations provided by the first executable program; and an eye movement tracking indicator and optics for directing the laser pulses to be deposited to intended locations on a cornea by adjusting one or more optics when the eye moves during the eye surgery, the eye movement tracking indicator and optics comprising: a positional indicator; and laser beam deflecting optics for deflecting the laser beam to follow the movement of the eye.

2. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein a diameter of the laser beams is in a range of around 0.01 to 4.0 mm at the cornea.

3. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the Gaussian-like tissue ablation profile of the laser pulse includes a non top hat shape, Gaussian shape or a super-Gaussian shape or a combination thereof.

4. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the scanning optics comprise at least one galvanometric scanner.

5. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the pulse deposit pattern comprises laser pulse deposit locations sufficiently far apart from each other so that the tissue ablation profiles of at least one pair of consecutive pulses have no overlap.

6. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the pulse deposit pattern comprises laser pulse deposit locations sufficiently close to each other so that the tissue ablation profiles of at least one pair of consecutive pulses overlap.

7. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the first executable program includes: a first subroutine for calculating an ablation depth per layer of the deposit pattern; a second subroutine for calculating the number of layers required to ablate total depth of the predetermined shape of corneal tissue; and a third subroutine for determining an area boundary for each layer of the deposit pattern.

8. A scanning laser device as in claim 1, wherein the scanning optics for directing each of the laser pulses provide sequential scanning such that each of the laser pulses is deposited in an orderly sequence until the predetermined pulse deposit pattern is scanned.

9. A scanning laser device as in claim 8, wherein the orderly sequence includes a linear scan, a circular scan, or a spiral scan, or combinations thereof.

10. A scanning laser as in claim 1, wherein the scanning optics for directing each of the laser pulses provide a random scan sequence such that laser pulses in the predetermined pulse deposit pattern are deposited randomly.

11. A scanning laser as in claim 1, wherein the eye positional indicator comprises one or more distinct marks placed on the eye, a pupil of the eye, or a sclera of the eye, or combinations thereof.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Claims

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Previous Patent Application:
Medical manipulator
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Method and device for the representation of an operation area during laser operations
Industry Class:
Surgery

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