Nidek Co., Ltd.

Paolo Vinciguerra

Maurizio Sborgia

Marco Azzolini

Daniel Epstein

Scott MacRae

Hiroyuki Hiramatsu

Yoshitaka Suzuki

A method and an apparatus for evaluating ablation conditions easily and for ablating a target object accurately. The method includes irradiating a reference object with a laser beam under laser irradiation conditions determined to form a second curved surface shape on the reference object having a first curved surface shape approximate to a curved surface shape of the target object, measuring a third curved shape which has actually been formed by the laser irradiation, and determining a discrepancy between the second and the third curved surface shapes. Then, data about ablation or data for controlling a laser irradiation apparatus are corrected based on results of the determination.

Method for analysis of an ablated surface, analysis on inconsistency in a laser beam, and calibration of laser beam irradiation data

An apparatus for corneal surgery to correct a refractive error by ablating corneal tissue with a laser beam emitted from a laser source and delivered onto a cornea of a patient's eye with a light delivering optical system, the apparatus comprising an irradiation area limiting device for limiting an irradiation area of the laser beam and for varying the irradiation area, a first control device for controlling the irradiation area limiting device so as to reduce an ablation amount as the laser beam irradiates further away from a flattest meridian of astigmatism whereby effecting astigmatic correction, a second control device for controlling the irradiation area limiting device so as to increase an ablation amount as the laser beam irradiates further away from a steepest meridian of astigmatism whereby effecting astigmatic correction, and an arithmetic device for dividing a refractive power required for astigmatic correction into halves approximately-equally so that an approximately half of the astigmatic correction is achieved by the first control device and the residual astigmatic correction is achieved by the second control device.

Apparatus for corneal surgery

An apparatus for corneal surgery to correct a refractive error by ablating corneal tissue with a laser beam emitted from a laser source and delivered onto a cornea of a patient's eye with a light delivering optical system, the apparatus comprising an irradiation area limiting device for limiting an irradiation area of the laser beam and for varying the irradiation area, a first control device for controlling the irradiation area limiting device so as to reduce an ablation amount as the laser beam irradiates further away from a flattest meridian of astigmatism whereby effecting astigmatic correction, a second control device for controlling the irradiation area limiting device so as to increase an ablation amount as the laser beam irradiates further away from a steepest meridian of astigmatism whereby effecting astigmatic correction, and an arithmetic device for dividing a refractive power required for astigmatic correction into halves approximately equally so that an approximately half of the astigmatic correction is achieved by the first control device and the residual astigmatic correction is achieved by the second control device.

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Milan, Italy

Paolo Vinciguerra