Amo Development, LLC

Visx, Inc.

Optimedica Corporation

Jan C Wysopal

Carl F Knopp

Jerzy Orkiszewski

Phillip Gooding

Christine J Beltran

Michael A Campos

Brent Eikanas

Rene Hugues

William D Fountain

H Alfred Sklar

Yu-tai Ray Chen

Michael Persiantsev

Hanna J Hoffman

Phillip H Gooding

Apparatus to treat an eye with an ophthalmic laser system comprises a patient interface having an annular retention structure to couple to an anterior surface of the eye. The retention structure is coupled to a suction line to couple the retention structure to the eye with suction. Liquid is added above the eye to act as a transmissive medium. A coupling sensor is coupled to the suction line to determine coupling of the retention structure to the eye. A separate pressure monitoring circuit having a much smaller volume than the suction line is connected to the annular retention structure to measure suction pressure therein. A system processor coupled to the monitoring pressure sensor includes instructions to interrupt firing of a laser when the pressure measured with a monitoring pressure sensor rises above a threshold amount.

Vacuum loss detection during laser eye surgery

A photo detector is selectively coupled to a first integrator or a second integrator with switching circuitry when the laser pulses. An integration time of the signal from the photo detector can be substantially greater than an amount of time between successive laser beam pulses in order to provide an accurate measurement of each laser beam pulse of a high repetition rate pulsed laser. The laser may comprise a clock coupled to an optical switch of the laser system, and control circuitry can control switching and coupling of the detector to the first integrator or the second integrator in response to the clock signal. The first integrator and the second integrator can be selectively coupled to an output such that the first integrator or the second integrator is coupled to the output of the energy detection circuitry when the other integrator is coupled to the detector.

Monitoring laser pulse energy in a laser eye surgery system

A laser eye surgery system comprises subsystems which communicate with one another through low voltage differential signaling (LVDS). The laser eye surgery system may comprise a first subsystem interface, including an LVDS driver or transmitter coupled to and in communication with an LVDS receiver of a first subsystem of the laser eye surgery system. The first laser eye surgery subsystem itself may comprise an LVDS transmitter coupled to and in communication with an LVDS receiver to return data to the first subsystem. Further laser eye surgery subsystems may also include the same arrangement of drivers and receivers with respective subsystem interfaces. LVDS lowers power consumption and the risk of error in communication between laser eye surgery systems, leading to safer and more reliable surgical procedures performed.

Low voltage communication between subsystems in a laser eye surgery system

A method and system is described that greatly improves the safety and efficacy of ophthalmic laser surgery. The method and system are applicable to precise operations on a target subject to movement during the procedure. The system may comprise the following elements: (1) a user interface, (2) an imaging system, which may include a surgical microscope, (3) an automated tracking system that can follow the movements of an eye, (4) a laser, (5) a diagnostic system, and (6) a fast reliable safety means, for automatically interrupting the laser firing.

Automated laser workstation for high precision surgical and industrial interventions

A method, apparatus and system for template-controlled, precision laser interventions is described that greatly improves interventions such as laser microsurgery, particularly ophthalmic surgery, and industrial micromachining. The instrument and system are applicable to those specialties wherein the positioning accuracy of laser lesions is critical, such as whenever precise operations on a target or series of targets subject to movement during the procedure are to be effected. The system includes a user interface, wherein the user can either draw, adjust, or designate particular template patterns overlaid on a live video images of the target (such as the cornea) which are stabilized and produce an apparently stationary display of the target and provide the means for converting the template pattern into a sequence of automatic motion instructions to direct a laser beam to be sequentially applied replicating the designated template pattern into the corresponding surgical or industrial site.

A method, apparatus and system for a transverse tracker is described that can greatly improve the accuracy, speed, range, reliability, versatility, safety, and efficacy of interventions such as laser microsurgery, particularly ophthalmic surgery, and industrial micromachining. The instrument and system disclosed are applicable to those situations wherein the positioning accuracy of laser lesions is critical, and/or whenever precise operations on a target or series of targets subject to random movement during a procedure are to be effected. The present invention provides means for stabilizing the motion of targets in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction, thus allowing an imaging system, diagnostics illumination, and/or laser beam to maintain a lock on the target area, regardless of its movement. The invention also provides means for recording eye movements in real time and in which data can be stored and manipulated for the purpose of compensating for lateral target motion by either hardware or software means. Unique attributes provided in the tracking system include means for (1) sensing contrast in recognizable large scale boundaries such as the change between the cornea/sclera interface (limbus), thereby to determine the absolute location and orientation of these boundaries, all without having to resort to digital sampling techniques and (2) dual mode operation of an electronic control system compatible with all analog technologies, thereby substantially increasing the speed of operations over other, comparable digital method. The tracking system of the invention is at least comprised of illumination sources, imaging optics, a sensor such as a position-sensitive detector, a movable optical element such as a mirror, a two-dimensional logic board, and a dedicated microprocessor, including appropriate signal processing firmware and software. Additional optics can be incorporated to provide interface with other assemblies such as depth tracking, target viewing and/or laser surgery subsystems. The system of the invention affords considerable flexibility in selecting particular components such as the illuminators, detectors and servo devices, which, in turn, allows broad application of this system to tracking tasks in diverse medical surgical, diagnostic, and industrial settings.

System for detecting, measuring and compensating for lateral movements of a target

A method, apparatus and system for template-controlled, precision laser interventions is described that greatly improves the accuracy, speed, range, reliability, versatility, safety, and efficacy of interventions such as laser microsurgery, particularly ophthalmic surgery, and industrial micromachining. The instrument and system are applicable to those specialties wherein the positioning accuracy of laser lesions is critical, wherever accurate containment of the spatial extent of a laser lesion is desirable, and/or whenever precise operations on a target or series of targets subject to movement during the procedure are to be effected. The system thus comprises the following key elements: (1) a user interface, consisting of a video display, microprocessor and controls, (2) an imaging system, which may include a surgical video microscope with zoom capability, (3) an automated 3D target acquisition and tracking system that can follow the movements of the subject tissue, for example an eye, during the operation, thus allowing the surgeon/user to predetermine his firing patern based on an image which is automatically stabilized over time, (4) a laser, with which can be focused so that only the precise lesions described by the user interface are effected, (5) a diagnostic system, incorporating a mapping and topography means for measuring precise surface shapes prior to and subsequent to a procedure, said measurements to be executed on-line within time scales not limited to human response times, and (6) a fast reliable safety means, whereby the laser firing is interrupted automatically, should any conditions arise to warrant such interruption of the procedure.

Automated laser workstation for high precision surgical and industrial

A method, apparatus and system for a transverse tracker is described that can greatly improve the accuracy, speed, range, reliability, versatility, safety, and efficacy of interventions such as laser microsurgery. The present invention provides means for stabilizing the motion of targets in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction, thus allowing an imaging system, diagnostics illumination, and/or laser beam to maintain a lock on the target area, regardless of its movement. Unique attributes provided in the tracking system include means for (1) sensing contrast in recognizable large scale boundaries such as the change between the cornea/sclera interface (limbus), thereby to determine the absolute location and orientation of these boundaries, all without having to resort to digital sampling techniques and (2) dual mode operation of an electronic control system compatible with all analog technologies, thereby substantially increasing the speed of operations over other, comparable digital method. The tracking system of the invention is at least comprised of illumination sources, imaging optics, a sensor, a movable optical element, a two-dimensional logic board, and a dedicated microprocessor, including appropriate signal processing firmware and software. Additional optics can provide interface with depth tracking, target viewing and/or laser surgery subsystems. The invention affords considerable flexibility in selecting illuminators, detectors and servo devices, which, allows broad application of this system to diverse medical surgical, diagnostic, and industrial settings.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Jan C Wysopal