IMAGE MAPPING FOR GRID PATTERN LASER TREATMENTS AND METHODS

• US 20130110092A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Iridex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Iridex Corporation
• Inventors: Yee, Kingman
• Application Number:
  US13/656,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00315 for treatment of particular body parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00589 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00897 Scanning mechanisms or algorithms
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for treating the retina and/or other areas of a patient'"'"'s eye. The procedures may involve using one or more treatment beams (e.g., lasers) to cause photocoagulation or laser coagulation to finely cauterize ocular blood vessels and/or prevent blood vessel growth to induce one or more therapeutic benefits. In other embodiments, a series of short duration light pulses (e.g., between 5-15 microseconds) may be delivered to the retinal tissue with a thermal relaxation time delay between the pulse to limit the temperature rise of the target retinal tissue and thereby limit a thermal effect to only the retinal pigment epithelial layer. Such procedures may be used to treat diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and/or other conditions of the eye. The treatment beam may be delivered within a treatment boundary or pattern defined on the retina of the patient'"'"'s eye.

Claims

1. A method for treating an eye of a patient comprising:

providing a retinal image of the patient'"'"'s eye;

determining first and second treatment areas of a retina to treat with a therapeutic treatment by referencing the retinal image;

directing a beam toward the first determined treatment area of the retina by referencing the retinal image so as to produce the therapeutic treatment for the first treatment area;

superimposing indicia of the therapeutic treatment on the retinal image at a first location corresponding to the first treatment area; and

directing the beam onto the second determined treatment area of the retina by referencing the retinal image with the superimposed indicia so as to produce the therapeutic treatment for the second treatment area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

superimposing indicia of the therapeutic treatment on the retinal image at a second location corresponding to the second treatment area; and

storing the retinal image with the super imposed indicia so as to track the treatments the patient receives.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising superimposing on the retinal image a plurality of therapeutic treatments provided to or to be provided to the patient.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a movement of the patient'"'"'s eye; and

adjusting, in response to the movement, a position of the beam to compensate for the movement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting a position of the beam comprises capturing a second retinal image of the eye and comparing retinal features of the retinal image with retinal features of the second retinal image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a first treatment area comprises determining a treatment boundary separating retinal tissue to a first area and a second area;

and wherein the method further comprises;

delivering the therapeutic treatment to the first treatment area by selectively directing the beam within the treatment boundary.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising directing an additional beam on retinal tissue to define the treatment boundary on the retinal tissue.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising superimposing the treatment boundary on the retinal image to display the therapeutic treatment for the first treatment area.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the retinal image and superimposed treatment boundary on a display device configured to accept a user input to adjust a property of the treatments boundary.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting a property comprises adjusting one or more properties selected from the group consisting of:

a boundary shape, a boundary size, and a boundary orientation.

11. A method for treating an eye of a patient comprising:

providing a retinal image of the patient'"'"'s eye;

directing a beam toward a first treatment area of the retina to provide a therapeutic treatment for the first treatment area; and

superimposing indicia of the therapeutic treatment on the retinal image at a first location corresponding to the first treatment area.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

directing the beam onto at least one additional treatment area of the retina to provide the therapeutic treatment for the at least one additional treatment area; and

superimposing indicia of the therapeutic treatment on the retinal image at one or more locations corresponding to the at least one additional treatment area.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the retinal image with the super imposed indicia so as to track the treatments the patient receives.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising superimposing on the retinal image one or more additional therapeutic treatments to be provided to the patient.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a treatment boundary for the first treatment area, the treatment boundary defining a region of retinal tissue to be provided with the therapeutic treatment;

and wherein the method further comprises;

delivering the therapeutic treatment to the first treatment area by selectively directing the beam within the treatment boundary.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising directing an aiming beam on the retinal tissue to define the treatment boundary on the retinal tissue.

17. A system for treating an eye of a patient, the system comprising:

a treatment beam source configured to transmit a treatment beam along a treatment beam path;

a scanning device disposed along the treatment beam path and configured to scan the treatment beam along a retina of the patient'"'"'s eye;

an image capture device oriented so as to capture an image of the retina;

a display coupled with the image capture device; and

a processor coupled to the scanning device and the display, the processor configured to;

superimpose, on an image of the retina from the image capture device as shown in the display, indicia of a therapeutic treatment at a desired location of the retina; and

deliver, via the treatment beam, the therapeutic treatment to the tissue of the retina at the desired location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

direct an aiming beam from an aiming beam source onto the desired location of the retina to define a desired treatment on the retina with reference to the indicia.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein one or more of the scanning device, the image capture device, or the processor are disposed within an adapter device that is removably couplable with an ophthalmic imaging instrument and optically couplable with the treatment beam source.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising a memory device that is configured to store the retinal image with the superimposed indicia so as to track one or more treatments the patient receives.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory device is further configured to store an additional therapeutic treatment that is superimposing on the retinal image, the additional therapeutic treatment being a treatment to be provided to the patient in a subsequent treatment.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein superimposing an additional therapeutic treatment comprises defining, on the retinal image, a region of retinal tissue to be provided with the therapeutic treatment.