MULTI-SPOT LASER SURGICAL PROBE USING FACETED OPTICAL ELEMENTS

• US 20110141759A1
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Research, LLC (Alcon Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Alcon Research Limited (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Smith, Ronald T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/553
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00526 Methods of manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00714 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2261 with scattering, diffusion or dispersion of light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2277 with refractive surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/306 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00821 for coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00823 Laser features or special beam parameters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49885 with coating before or during assembling

Abstract

An optical surgical probe includes a handpiece, a light guide within the handpiece, and a multi-spot generator at a distal end of the handpiece. The handpiece is configured to optically couple to a light source. The light guide is configured to carry a light beam from the light source to a distal end of the handpiece. The multi-spot generator includes a faceted optical element with a faceted end surface spaced from a distal end of the light guide. The faceted end surface includes at least one facet oblique to a path of the light beam.

Claims

1. An optical surgical probe comprising:

a handpiece, the handpiece configured to optically couple to a light source;

at least one light guide within the handpiece;

the at least one light guide configured to carry a light beam from the light source to a distal end of the handpiece;

a multi-spot generator at a distal end of the handpiece, the multi-spot generator including a faceted optical element with a faceted end surface spaced from a distal end of the light guide, the faceted end surface including at least one facet oblique to a path of the light beam.

2. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the faceted optical element has a concave faceted face.

3. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the faceted optical element has a convex faceted face.

4. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the multi-spot generator further comprises a ball lens.

5. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the ball lens is within the faceted optical element.

6. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the multi-spot generator further comprises a gradient index (GRIN) lens between the at least one light guide and faceted optical element.

7. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the faceted optical element comprises a faceted optical adhesive.

8. The optical surgical probe of claim 7, wherein the faceted optical adhesive is a first faceted optical adhesive having a first refractive index, and the multi-spot generator further comprises a second faceted optical adhesive having a second refractive index different from the first refractive index.

9. The optical surgical probe of claim 8, wherein the first faceted optical adhesive has a concave faceted face, and the second faceted optical adhesive has a convex faceted face in contact with the concave faceted face of the first optical adhesive.

10. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a laser.

11. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the handpiece is configured to switch between optical coupling to a first light source producing light of a first wavelength and optical coupling to a second light source producing light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, wherein at least one of the first and second wavelengths is visible.

12. The optical surgical probe of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the handpiece is sized to be 23 Gauge or smaller.

13. A method of manufacturing a multi-spot optical surgical probe, comprising:

depositing an optical adhesive in a cannula for a handpiece including at least one light guide configured to carry a light beam from a light source through the handpiece;

forming the optical adhesive to produce a faceted face;

curing the optical adhesive; and

assembling the cannula with the handpiece to form a multi-spot generator that includes the optical adhesive at a distal end of the handpiece.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the optical adhesive around a ball lens.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the optical adhesive is a first optical adhesive having a first refractive index; and

the method further comprises;

depositing a second optical adhesive having a second refractive index different from the first refractive index on the faceted face of the first optical adhesive; and

curing the second optical adhesive.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of forming the optical adhesive comprises molding the optical adhesive with a molding pin inserted into the cannula.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the distal end of the handpiece is sized to be 23 Gauge or smaller.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the faceted face is a convex faceted face.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the faceted face is a concave faceted face.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the handpiece comprises a gradient index (GRIN) lens between the at least one light guide and the multi-spot generator.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the faceted adhesive has at least one facet oblique to a path of the light beam.