SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POSITIONING AND STABILIZING AN EYE

• US 20090182311A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec Incorporated (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Oraya Therapeutics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gertner, Michael, Herron, Matt, Arnoldussen, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,512,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0231 for eye surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00865 Sclera
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00872 Cornea
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00895 Presbyopia
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00804 Refractive treatments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00819 with photoablatable masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00821 for coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/009 Auxiliary devices making contact with the eyeball and coupling in laser light, e.g. goniolenses apparatus for eye examination A61B3/0008
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1017 Treatment of the eye, e.g. for "macular degeneration"

Abstract

A system for securing a patient eye at a known position in an external coordinate system is disclosed. The system includes a head support for supporting the patient'"'"'s head, an eye-contact device including a concave contact surface adapted to be placed against the front surface of a patient'"'"'s eye, and a port in fluid communication with the contact surface, by which a vacuum can be applied to the device to remove air between the eye and the contact surface, to stabilize the position of the eye with respect to the contact device, and a biasing mechanism operatively connected to the contact device for biasing the contact device against the eye with a force sufficient to the hold the contact device against the eye, when the eye is stabilized with respect to the device by removal of air between the eye and the device'"'"'s contact surface.

Claims

1. A system for securing a patient eye at a selected position comprising, in operative condition,

(a) a head support for supporting the patient'"'"'s head,

(b) an eye-contact device including an internal concave contact surface adapted to be placed against the front surface of a patient'"'"'s eye, an external surface, a port in fluid communication with the contact surface, by which a negative pressure can be applied between a patient'"'"'s eye and the contact surface, to stabilize the position of the eye with respect to the contact device, and a connector carried on the outer surface of the eye-contact member, and a connector carried on the outer surface of the device, and

(c) a biasing mechanism operatively connected to the contact device connector for biasing the eye-contact device against the eye with a force sufficient to the hold the contact device against the eye, when the eye is stabilized with respect to the device by application of a negative pressure between the eye and the device'"'"'s contact surface.

2. The system of claim 1, for use in locating the position of a patient'"'"'s eye in an external coordinate system, which further includes a position detector for detecting the position of the contact device, and thus, the position of the eye attached to the contact device, in the external coordinate system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the position detector includes a plurality of beam elements mounted on the contact device, for directing beams in accordance with the position and orientation of the beam elements, sensors for detecting the directions of the beams, and a processor for determining from the detected beam directions, the position of the contact device in the external coordinate system.

4. The system of claim 1, which further includes a positioning assembly for positioning the contact device, with such attached to a patient'"'"'s eye, at a selected position in an external coordinate system, including in a movable arm pivotally attached to the eye-contact device connector for adjusting the position of the device, wherein the biasing mechanism acts on the arm to bias the contact device against the patient'"'"'s eye.

5. The system of claim 4, for use in placing the position of a patient'"'"'s eye in an external coordinate system, which further includes a position detector for detecting the position of the contact device, and thus, the position of the eye attached to the contact device, in the external coordinate system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the positioning assembly is operable to adjust the orientation of the contact member with respect to the patient'"'"'s head, as the position detector detects the direction of a beam emanating from the contact member.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the position detector is operable to determine the position of the contact device in the external coordinate system from the position of the positioning assembly arm in the external coordinate system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the position detector communicates with the eye-positioning assembly and said eye-positioning assembly is moved to a different position based on the signal from the position detector.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said eye-positioning assembly is adjusted automatically through motion controllers on the eye-positioning assembly.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the biasing mechanism is effective to bias the eye-contact member against the eye with a force of between 1-25 grams.

11. The system of claim 1, which further includes a vacuum source operable to apply a negative pressure of between about 20-50 mm Hg to the contact device contact surface.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye contact member is a curved structure which is centered on a center axis extending through the contact member, substantially normal thereto, and said connector is disposed along the center axis of the contact member.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the eye contact member is a curved structure which is centered on a center axis extending through the contact member, substantially normal thereto, and said connector is disposed along an axis offset from the center axis.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the connector is detachably coupled to the biasing mechanism, allowing the mechanism to break away from the eye-contact member when an above-threshold force is applied by or to the eye.

12. A method for securing a patient'"'"'s eye at a selected position comprising the steps of:

(a) supporting the patient'"'"'s head in a support,

(b) placing against the front portion of the patient'"'"'s eye, a concave contacting surface of an eye-contact device,

(c) applying a negative pressure between the eye and the contact surface, thus to stabilize the position of the eye with respect to the contact device, and

(d) biasing the contact device against the eye with a force sufficient to the hold the contact device against the eye, wherein the position of the eye is stabilized with respect to the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (c) includes applying a negative pressure to the contact device of between 20 mm Hg and about 50 mm Hg.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said biasing is effective to bias the eye-contact member against the eye with a force of between 1-25 grams.

15. The method of claim 12, for use in locating the position of a patient'"'"'s eye in an external coordinate system, which further includes detecting the position of the contact device, and thus, the position of the eye attached to the contact device, in the external coordinate system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said contact device includes a plurality of beam elements mounted thereon, for directing beams in accordance with the positions of the beam elements, and said detecting includes detecting the directions of said beams, and determining from the detected beam directions, the position of the contact device in the external coordinate system.

17. The method of claim 12, which further includes moving the position of the contact device, with such attached to the patient'"'"'s eye, and while biasing the contact device against the eye, to position the contact device at a selected position in the external coordinate system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said moving is carried out by an arm pivotally attached to the contact device connector, and said arm is operable to bias the contact device against the patient'"'"'s eye.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the positioning assembly is operable to adjust the orientation of the contact member with respect to the patient'"'"'s head, as the position detector detects the direction of a beam emanating from the contact member.