Method and apparatus for ophthalmic surgery
First Claim
1. An ophthalmic surgical system for performing surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:
- a. a laser source for generating a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery;
b. a controller, optically coupled to the laser beam, for controlling positioning of the laser beam;
c. a delivery system having a proximal end and a movable distal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery system;
d. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system for directing the laser beam into an interaction point or tan area having a location, the location of the interaction point being determined by the controller; and
e. an applanator plate adapted to be rigidly attached to the eye and to the surgical tip, the applanator plate providing a fixed positional reference in three-dimensional space with respect to the laser beam interaction point in the eye to allow three-dimensional control of the interaction point in the eye by the laser source and controller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for precisely controlling and determining the location of the interaction point of a surgical laser beam, and for controlling the shape of the cornea during ophthalmic surgery. A transparent applanator plate is placed in contact with the cornea of a patient'"'"'s eye. The applanator plate creates a fixed positional frame of reference from which a laser beam control system can determine the desired point or points at which to focus the surgical laser beam. A surgical tip at the distal end of an articulated arm having flexible joints is placed in contact with the applanator plate and follows any motion of the patient'"'"'s eye and directs the laser beam to the surgical tip. The applanator plate also provides a means to control the contour of the index of refraction boundary between the corneal epithelium of the patient'"'"'s eye and the air.
395 Citations
61 Claims
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1. An ophthalmic surgical system for performing surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:
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a. a laser source for generating a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery; b. a controller, optically coupled to the laser beam, for controlling positioning of the laser beam; c. a delivery system having a proximal end and a movable distal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery system; d. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system for directing the laser beam into an interaction point or tan area having a location, the location of the interaction point being determined by the controller; and e. an applanator plate adapted to be rigidly attached to the eye and to the surgical tip, the applanator plate providing a fixed positional reference in three-dimensional space with respect to the laser beam interaction point in the eye to allow three-dimensional control of the interaction point in the eye by the laser source and controller. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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2. An ophthalmic surgical system for performing surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:
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a. a laser source for generating a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery; b. a controller, optically coupled to the laser beam, for controlling positioning of the laser beam; c. a delivery system having a movable distal end and proximal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source, for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery means; d. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system for directing the laser beam into an interaction point or an area having a location, the location of the interaction point being determined by the controller; and e. an applanator plate, the a planator plate having at least one shaped surface means, the surgical tip being in contact with the applanator plate during surgery on an eye, the shaped surface means being placed in contact with of the outer surface of the eye during surgery on the eye, the shaped surface means for defining a predetermined area of the eye for a surgical procedure to be performed in such area and for conforming the predetermined area of the eye to the shaped surface of the shaped surface means, such conformed predetermined area providing a positional reference in three-dimensional space with respect to the laser beam interaction point in the eye to allow three-dimensional control of the interaction point in the eye by the laser source and controller, wherein the shaped surface means displaces the outer surface of the eye such that lineal or non-lineal excisions made while the applanator plate is in contact with the eye transform to non-lineal excisions upon removal of the applanator plate from the eye.
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20. An ophthalmic surgical system for performing ophthalmic surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:
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a. a laser source for generating, and controlling positioning of, a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery; b. a delivery system having a proximal end and a movable distal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source, for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery system; c. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system, for focussing the laser beam into an area having a size and location, the size and location of the area being determined by the control means of the laser source with respect to a three-dimensional positional frame of refer, race that is fixed relative to the distal end of the delivery system; and an applanator plate, adapted to be rigidly attached to a portion of the outer surface of an eye during surgery, the surgical tip being rigidly attached to the applanator plate during such surgery, the applanator plate thus fixing the three-dimensional positional frame of reference relative to the outer surface of the eye to provide precision three-dimensional reference of an interaction point between tissue of the eye and the laser beam. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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- 24. An applanator plate having a means for fixing the applanator plate to an eye and at least one shaped surface means for contacting and displacing an outer surface of an eye upon which ophthalmic surgery is to be performed, and for conforming the outer surface of the eye to the shape of the contacting shaped surface means, and having a second shaped surface configured to be placed in contact with a tip of a surgical laser instrument having a three-dimensional position, the applanator plate fixing the three-dimensional position of the laser surgical instrument relative to the eye and precisely coupling the laser beam from the laser surgical instrument to selected locations in the eye.
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30. A method of ophthalmic surgery, including the steps of:
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e. generating a laser beam from a laser source; f. directing the laser beam through at least one optical element from the laser source to a surgical tip; g. contacting a first surface of an applanator plate to a portion of the outer surface of an eye such that the portion of the outer surface of the eye is displaced to conform to the shape of the first surface of the applanator plate, such contact between the applanator plate and the eye thereby defining an area through which the laser beam interacts with tissue of the eye; h. rigidly attaching the surgical tip to a second surface of the applanator plate; and i. focusing the laser beam from the surgical tip through the applanator plate to at a plurality of predetermined locations in the eye, each such location having a fixed three-dimensional reference with respect to the applanator plate, the focused laser beam interacting with eye tissue at each such location. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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Specification