Novartis Ag

Alcon Research, Ltd.

Alcon, Inc.

Novaris Ag

Michael James Papac

Ronald T Smith

Alireza Mirsepassi

Michael John Yadlowsky

Chenguang Diao

Gerald David Bacher

Christopher Horvath

Lingfeng Yu

Cesario Pereira Dos Santos

Barry Lynn Wheatley

Kambiz Parto

Steven Thomas Charles

John Christopher Huculak

Mark Harrison Farley

Brian William McDonell

Michael McCulloch Martin

Bruno X Lassalas

Hugang Ren

Alexander N Artsyukhovich

Paul R Hallen

Robert Joseph Sanchez, Jr

Argelio Michael Olivera

Vit Ulinskas

Jack Robert Auld

Laszlo Otto Romoda

Tammo Heeren

Mark Alan Hopkins

Nicholas Max Gunn

Andrew Mason Hahn

Edouard G Schmidtlin

Mauricio Jochinsen

Pooria Sharif Kashani

Robert Sanchez

Fred Mercado

Salomon Valencia

Dean Lin

Ryan Makoto Takakawa

Eyad Ammari

Thomas Kern

Craig Bender

Tammo Hereen

Philip John Biancalana

Michael John Claus

Michael M Martin

Jr Robert Sanchez

Brian William Mcdonell

Yu Lingfeng

A process of making a diverging-light fiber optics illumination delivery system includes providing a micro-post comprising a glass-ceramic light-scattering element that includes at least one of a ceramic, a glass ceramic, an immiscible glass, a porous glass, opal glass, amorphous glass, an aerated glass, and a nanostructured glass; and fusion-splicing the glass-ceramic micro-post to the optical fiber by pulling an arc between electrodes across a gap formed by the optical fiber and the glass-ceramic micro-post; maintaining the arc for a time sufficiently long to make facing surfaces of the optical fiber and the micro-post one of malleable and molten; and pushing and thereby fusing together the facing surfaces of the optical fiber and the micro-post. Some embodiments can include fusing the glass-ceramic micro-post to the optical fiber by applying a laser beam to heat up at least one of the facing surfaces of the optical fiber and the glass-ceramic micro-post.

Method of making diverging-light fiber optics illumination delivery system

An ophthalmic cannula assembly may include a cannula having an outer cannula surface and an inner cylindrical bore. A hub adjoining a proximal end of the cannula may define a maximum outer hub diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the cannula. An optical fiber may be attached to the outer cannula surface for at least a portion of a length of the cannula. A cover material may be in contact with the outer cannula surface, and may cover at least a portion of the optical fiber. A light diffuser may be disposed at a distal tip of the optical fiber.

Illuminated ophthalmic cannula

In some embodiments, an illuminated microsurgical instrument system includes a microsurgical instrument having a distally projecting tubular member arranged to perform a medical procedure. The tubular member has a distal tip and an outer surface, the outer surface having a flat surface formed therein. The instrument includes a sheath member surrounding a portion of the tubular member and extending toward the distal tip of the tubular member and an optical fiber extending along a length of the flat surface between the tubular member and the sheath member. The instrument may include an opening such as a slot in the distal end of the sheath member to direct exiting air away from the tip of the optical fiber. The instrument may further include a slack chamber, collar structure, and fiber guard member to support and guide the optical fiber to the distal tip.

Medical instrument with an integrated optical fiber

Mechanical optics for mode mixing may be used to homogenize different modes in an optical fiber used for surgical illumination. A mechanical optical element, such as a rotating prism or a mirror membrane, may impart motion to an incident beam entering the optical fiber to generate a homogeneous illumination field from a coherent light source.

Mechanical optics for mixed mode surgical laser illumination

Pixelated array optics for mode mixing may be used to homogenize different modes in an optical fiber used for surgical illumination. A pixelated phase array, such as a digital micromirror device or an LCD phase plate, may impart motion to an incident beam entering the optical fiber to generate a homogeneous illumination field from a coherent light source.

Pixelated array optics for mixed mode surgical laser illumination

In a general aspect, a vitrectomy system is adapted to use photodisruption to rupture eye tissue. In some aspects, a photodisruption-based vitrectomy system includes a laser source configured to generate optical pulses having a pulse energy greater than a threshold energy for causing photodisruption in vitreous humor. The system also includes an optical switching device arranged to receive an output of the laser source, and an optical fiber with multiple cores that is arranged to receive an output of the optical switching device. The optical switching device is configured to select a core of the optical fiber and direct optical pulses received from the laser source into the selected core.

Photodisruption-based vitrectomy system

Provided herein is an illuminated microsurgical instrument system and an illuminated microsurgical instrument. In one implementation, the system includes a microsurgical instrument having a distally projecting tubular member arranged to perform a medical procedure at an interventional site. The tubular member has a distal tip and an outer surface, the outer surface having a flat surface formed therein. The instrument includes a sheath member surrounding a portion of the tubular member and extending toward the distal tip of the tubular member and an optical fiber extending along a length of the flat surface between the tubular member and the sheath member. The instrument may further include a slack chamber, collar structure, and fiber guard member to support and guide the optical fiber to the distal tip.

An illumination fiber optics is provided that includes an optical fiber, configured to receive illumination light at a proximal end from a light source; and a light-scattering element, at a distal end of the optical fiber, configured to receive the illumination light from the optical fiber at a proximal end and to emit the illumination light at a distal end in a wide angle. The illumination fiber optics can be prepared by providing an optical fiber, configured to receive illumination light at a proximal end from a light source; and creating a light-scattering element at a distal end of the optical fiber, configured to receive the illumination light from the optical fiber at a proximal end and to emit the illumination light at a distal end in a wide angle.

Diverging light from fiber optics illumination delivery system

A method and system assist a physician in performing an ophthalmic surgery. The method includes receiving a quasi-real time image of at least a first portion of the eye. The at least the first portion of the eye includes an operating field for the ophthalmic surgery. A recommended next region and a recommended next procedure are determined based on the quasi-real time image and a computational model of the eye. An expected next result for the recommended next procedure is calculated using the quasi-real time image and the computational model. The recommended next region, the recommended next procedure and the expected result are provided to the physician.

Predictive apparatus for assisting a physician during ophthalmic surgery

An optical coherence tomography (OCT) apparatus includes an optical source module comprising two or more selectable optical sources or an optical source configured to selectively operate in two or more source operating modes, or a combination of both, and further comprises an OCT engine coupled to the optical source module, the OCT engine comprising an OCT interferometer. The OCT apparatus still further includes a mode-switching optics module coupled to the OCT engine and comprising one or more swappable, selectable, or adjustable optical components, such that the mode-switching optics module is configured to selectively provide two or more optical configurations for the optical path between the OCT engine and an imaged object, according to two or more corresponding operating modes.

Reconfigurable optical coherence tomography (OCT) system

Focusing optics for mode mixing may be used to homogenize different modes in an optical fiber used for surgical illumination. A vibration stage may impart mechanical motion to a condenser lens to generate a homogeneous illumination field from a coherent light source.

Focusing optics for mixed mode surgical laser illumination

A surgical probe system comprising a surgical probe having a probe needle, an optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a proximal end of the optical fiber is connected to a light source and a distal end of the optical fiber projects illumination light from the light source over a tip of the probe needle; and an adjustment mechanism that varies the illumination light between a first beam having a first numerical aperture that facilitates vitreous visualization and a second beam having a second numerical aperture that facilitates background illumination, wherein the second numerical aperture is larger than the first numerical aperture.

Illuminated surgical probe having a variable illumination numerical aperture

A method and system provide a surgical infusion device including a cannula and an optical fiber coupled with the cannula. The cannula has a channel therethrough and an outside diameter. The channel has an inside diameter that is smaller than the outside diameter. The optical fiber is coupled with the cannula. At least a portion of the optical fiber coupled with the cannula has a diameter of not more than one half the inside diameter.

Illuminated infusion cannula

Systems, apparatuses, and methods of and for an ophthalmic surgical system are disclosed. An ophthalmic surgical system may include a vitreous probe having a housing sized and shaped for grasping by a user. The vitreous probe may also include a cutter extending from the housing and being sized to penetrate and treat a patient eye. The cutter may include an outer cutting tube coupled to the housing. The outer cutting tube may have an outer port formed at a distal end wall of the outer cutting tube and configured to receive tissue. The cutter may include a rotatable inner cutting member disposed within the outer cutting tube. The inner cutting member may include a first cutting surface that rotates across the outer port to cut the tissue when the inner cutting member is rotated.

Vitrectomy probe with end tissue cutter and associated devices, systems, and methods

Growing community of inventors

North Tustin, CA, United States of America

Michael James Papac