Device for performing ophthalmic procedures with improved alignment
First Claim
1. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising,instrumentation for performing an ophthalmic procedure on a patient'"'"'s eye when said eye and said instrumentation are aligned with each other with respect to orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes, said Z axis specifying the distance of said eye from said instrumentation,a signal generator that generates an initiation signal to initiate alignment of said instrumentation and said eye,Z alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal to cause alignment along said Z axis, said Z alignment apparatus determining when said instrumentation and said eye are in predetermined relative positions along said Z axis and generating a Z alignment signal,X, Y alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal to cause alignment along said X, Y axes, said X, Y alignment apparatus determining when said instrumentation and said eye are aligned along said X, Y axes and generating an X, Y alignment signal, anda controller that receives said Z alignment signal and said X, Y alignment signal and issues a control signal to said instrumentation to perform said ophthalmic procedure in response to said alignment signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ophthalmic apparatus has instrumentation for performing an ophthalmic procedure on a patient'"'"'s eye when the patient and the instrumentation are aligned with each other with respect to orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes. The Z axis specifies the distance of the eye from the instrumentation. A signal generator generates an initiation signal to initiate alignment of the instrumentation and the eye. An X-Y alignment apparatus and a Z alignment apparatus each respond to the initiation signal to cause alignment along their respective axes and then determine when the instrumentation and the eye are in predetermined relative positions along the Z axis. The X-Y alignment apparatus and the Z alignment apparatus each generate a respective alignment signal. A controller receives the Z alignment signal and the X-Y alignment signal and issues a control signal to the instrumentation to perform an ophthalmic procedure in response to the alignment signals.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising,
instrumentation for performing an ophthalmic procedure on a patient'"'"'s eye when said eye and said instrumentation are aligned with each other with respect to orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes, said Z axis specifying the distance of said eye from said instrumentation, a signal generator that generates an initiation signal to initiate alignment of said instrumentation and said eye, Z alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal to cause alignment along said Z axis, said Z alignment apparatus determining when said instrumentation and said eye are in predetermined relative positions along said Z axis and generating a Z alignment signal, X, Y alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal to cause alignment along said X, Y axes, said X, Y alignment apparatus determining when said instrumentation and said eye are aligned along said X, Y axes and generating an X, Y alignment signal, and a controller that receives said Z alignment signal and said X, Y alignment signal and issues a control signal to said instrumentation to perform said ophthalmic procedure in response to said alignment signals.
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10. A method of performing an ophthalmic procedure on a patient'"'"'s eye comprising,
providing instrumentation for performing an ophthalmic procedure on a patient'"'"'s eye when said eye and said instrumentation are aligned with each other with respect to orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes, said Z axis specifying the distance of said eye from said instrumentation, generating an initiation signal to initiate alignment of said instrumentation and said eye, causing alignment along said Z axis by Z alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal by determining when said instrumentation and said eye are in predetermined relative positions along said Z axis by said Z alignment apparatus, generating a Z alignment signal by said Z alignment apparatus, causing alignment along said X, Y axes by X, Y alignment apparatus responsive to said initiation signal, generating an X, Y alignment signal by said X, Y alignment apparatus, and issuing a control signal to said ophthalmic instrumentation to perform said ophthalmic procedure in response to said alignment signals.
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11. An apparatus for positioning ophthalmic instrumentation with respect to a patient'"'"'s eye along an axis comprising,
a motor connected to move said ophthalmic instrumentation along said axis with respect to said eye, a position sensor carried on said instrumentation that senses the position of said instrumentation with respect to said eye along said axis, and a controller that is responsive to said position sensor to issue a control signal to said apparatus at a predetermined position of said apparatus along said axis with respect to said eye.
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15. An imaging apparatus that is movable with respect to a patient to capture an image of a portion of a patient when said apparatus is at a predetermined position with respect to said patient comprising,
a camera that periodically outputs electronic images of said portion, a light source that is carried by said camera and directs a positioning light beam to said portion of said patient, and a controller that receives said electronic images and generates an image capture signal to capture a said electronic image if said electronic image includes a reflection of said beam at said portion of said patient.
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28. A patient-aligning ophthalmic apparatus comprising,
a light source that is carried by said ophthalmic apparatus and generates a light beam that is directed along a positioning axis that passes through the center region of a pupil of a patient'"'"'s eye when said apparatus is aligned with said patient'"'"'s eye, and optics causing said light beam to converge in the region to be occupied by a patient'"'"'s eye and to be imaged on said patient'"'"'s retina, said light beam being sized so as to fill the majority of a standard pupil size associated with a level of illumination of said apparatus, whereby movement of the center region of the pupil away from said axis will cause said light beam to be eclipsed by said pupil, such that a patient maintaining an uneclipsed view of said beam will be aligned with said axis.
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32. An apparatus for determining position of instrumentation with respect to a patient along an axis comprising,
a light source carried by said instrumentation so as to direct a light beam to intersect said axis, and a linear array of light receiving elements spaced along an optical path from said light source on an opposite side of said axis from said light source so as to provide a region for receiving a portion of said patient between said source and said elements, the number of elements blocked by said portion of said patient being a function of the position of said instrumentation with respect to said patient, and a detector to detect light received at individual said elements.
Specification