Bi-Radial Patient Interface

• US 20140216468A1
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alcon LenSx, Inc. (Alcon Incorporated)
• Inventors: Goldshleger, Ilya, Juhasz, Tibor, Lummis, Wesley, Raksi, Ferenc, Dong, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 10,335,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/845
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/103 for determining refraction, e.g. refractometers, skiascopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/107 for determining the shape or measuring the curvature of the cornea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/117 for examining the anterior chamber or the anterior chamber angle, e.g. gonioscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1173 for examining the eye lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/0052 the instrument being supported on the patient's eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00851 Optical coherence topography [OCT]
• 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

Abstract

To improve the precision of ophthalmic surgical procedures by reducing corneal wrinkling, a patient interface for an ophthalmic system can include an attachment portion, configured to attach the patient interface to a distal end of the ophthalmic system; a contact portion, configured to dock the patient interface to an eye; and a contact element, coupled to the contact portion, configured to contact a surface of a cornea of the eye as part of the docking of the patient interface to the eye, and having a central portion with a central radius of curvature Rc and a peripheral portion with a peripheral radius of curvature Rp, wherein Rc is smaller than Rp.

Claims

1. A patient interface for an ophthalmic system, comprising:

an attachment portion, configured to attach the patient interface to a distal end of the ophthalmic system;

a contact portion, configured to dock the patient interface to an eye; and

a contact element, coupled to the contact portion,

configured to contact a surface of a cornea of the eye as part of the docking of the patient interface to the eye, and

having a central portion with a central radius of curvature Rc and a peripheral portion with a peripheral radius of curvature Rp, wherein Rc is smaller than Rp.

2. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

Rc is in the range of 6.6 mm-9.1 mm and Rp is in the range of 8.8 mm-10.8 mm.

3. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein;

Rc is in the range of 7.1 mm-8.1 mm and Rp is in the range of 9.3 mm-10.3 mm.

4. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the central portion and the peripheral portion are joined at an edge.

5. The patient interface of claim 1, the contact portion comprising:

an escape structure, configured to assist an expulsion of air from a contact space between the central portion and the cornea.

6. The patient interface of claim 1, comprising:

a rigid distal lens, configured

to accommodate a proximal surface of the contact element, and

to prevent a more than 5% radial deformation of the contact element upon docking to the eye; and

an affixation structure, configured

to affix the contact element to the contact portion along a perimeter, and to prevent a more than 5% lateral expansion of the contact element upon docking to the eye.

7. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element is configured to be inserted into the contact portion; and

the contact portion is configured to accept the insertion of the contact element.

8. The patient interface of claim 7, the contact portion comprising:

a rigid distal lens, having a distal surface with a distal radius of curvature within 5% of a proximal radius of curvature of a proximal surface of the contact element, wherein the distal lens is configured

to form an extended contact with the contact element upon its insertion, and

to prevent a more than 5% radial deformation of the contact element upon the docking to the eye.

9. The patient interface of claim 7, the contact portion comprising;

an affixation structure, having at least one of

an affixation groove, a support rim, an insertion structure, an interlocking structure, a slide-in structure, a pop-in structure, and a lock-in structure;

wherein the affixation structure is configured

to firmly affix the inserted contact element to the contact portion, and

to prevent a more than 5% lateral expansion of the contact element upon the docking to the eye.

10. The patient interface of claim 7, wherein:

a distal lens, an affixation structure, a material of the contact element and the central radius of curvature Rc are selected such that upon docking the patient interface to the eye, a change of a radius of curvature of a cornea of the eye is greater than a change of the central radius of curvature Rc;

Δ

R(central-cornea)>

Δ

Rc.

11. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element comprises a contact material that forms a lubricating film at the surface of the cornea.

12. The patient interface of the claim 1, wherein:

a surface of the contact element comprises a hydrophilic material,

13. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element comprises hydrogel with a water content above 70%.

14. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element comprises hydrogel with a water content in the range of 50-70%.

15. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element comprises hydrogel with a water content in the range of 30-50%.

16. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element has a hydrated index of refraction in the range of 1.32-1.44.

17. The patient interface of claim 1, the contact portion comprising:

a suction ring, configured

to be coupled to a suction system,

to receive a suction from the suction system, and

to apply the suction of the suction system to a contact space between the patient interface and the eye to dock the patient interface to the eye.

18. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein

the attachment portion and the contact portion are integrated portions of the patient interface.

19. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the attachment portion is separate from the contact portion; and

the attachment portion is configured to be coupled to the contact portion after the contact portion has been docked to the eye.

20. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein:

the contact element comprises an intermediate portion between the central portion and the peripheral portion with an intermediate radius of curvature Ri, wherein Rc<

Ri<

Rp.

21. The patient interface of claim 20, wherein:

Rc is in the range of 7-9 mm, Ri in the range of 8-12 mm and Rp is in the range of 10-14 mm.

22. A method of docking a patient interface of an ophthalmic surgical laser system to an eye, the method comprising:

determining R(central-cornea), a radius of curvature of a central portion of a cornea of the eye, and R(peripheral-cornea-sclera), a radius of curvature characteristic of a peripheral portion of the cornea and a sclera of the eye;

selecting a contact element with a central portion having a central radius of curvature Rc and a peripheral portion having a peripheral radius of curvature Rp that is greater than Rc, wherein

Rc is less than R(central-cornea)+1 mm, and

Rp is less than R(peripheral-cornea-sclera)+1 mm; and

docking the patient interface of the ophthalmic surgical laser system with the selected contact element to the eye.

23. The method of claim 22, the selecting comprising:

selecting a contact element, wherein

Rc is less than R(central-cornea)+0.5 mm, and

Rp is less than R(peripheral-cornea-sclera)+0.5 mm.

24. The method of claim 22, the selecting comprising:

selecting the contact element with Rc less than R(central-cornea).

25. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the selected contact element is inserted into the patient interface before docking.

26. The method of claim 22, the selecting comprising;

selecting the patient interface from a set of patient interfaces that has the selected contact element.

27. The method of claim 22, the determining comprising:

generating an image of an anterior portion of the eye; and

determining R(central-cornea) and R(peripheral-cornea-sclera) from the image.

28. The method of claim 27, the generating comprising:

generating a depth-image with at least one of an Optical Coherence Tomography system, a Scheimpflug system and a slit lamp system.