Abstract: The amount of energy to provide optical breakdown can be determined based on mapped optical breakdown thresholds of the treatment volume, and the laser energy can be adjusted in response to the mapped breakdown thresholds. The mapping of threshold energies can be combined with depth and lateral calibration in order to determine the location of optical breakdown along the laser beam path for an amount of energy determined based on the mapping. The mapping can be used with look up tables to determine mapped locations from one reference system to another reference system.

Abstract: A method and surgical system including a laser source for generating a pulsed laser beam, an imaging system including a detector, shared optics configured for directing the pulsed laser beam to an object to be sampled and confocally deflecting back-reflected light from the object to the detector, a patient interface, through which the pulsed laser beam is directed, the patient interface having, a cup with a large and small opening, and a notched ring inside the cup; and a controller operatively coupled to the laser source, the imaging system and the shared optics, the controller configured to align the eye for procedure.

Abstract: In a laser beam delivery system for an ophthalmic laser system, a single multi-use beam sampler is employed to form three sampled laser beams, including two for redundant laser energy monitoring and one for laser focal point depth measurement. The beam sampler is a transparent plate with preferably parallel front and back surfaces. The front surface reflects a fraction of the incoming beam to form the first sampled beam toward an energy monitoring detector. The back surface reflects another fraction of the beam to form a second sampled beam exiting backwardly from the front surface toward another energy monitoring detector. An objective lens focuses the transmitted beam onto a target, and collects back reflected or scattered light from the target to form a return beam. The back surface of the beam sampler reflects a fraction of the return beam to form the third sampled beam toward a third detector.

Abstract: A measurement instrument and method: produce light having a linear shape; direct the light toward an eye via a first lens located one focal length from the light source; provide returned light, having the linear shape, from the eye to a split-prism; split the returned light into first and second linear segments; image the first and second linear segments onto an image sensor; determine a first lateral offset between the first and second linear segments on the image sensor at a first time; determine a second lateral offset between the first and second linear segments on the image sensor at a second time; determine a difference between the first and second lateral offsets; and determine a distance that the eye moved relative to the first lens between the first time and the second time based on the difference between the first and second lateral offsets.

Abstract: An imaging system for an ophthalmic laser system includes a prism cone made of a transparent optical material and disposed downstream of the focusing objective lens of the ophthalmic laser system, the prism cone having an upper surface, a lower surface parallel to the upper surface, a tapered side surface between the upper and lower surfaces, and a beveled surface formed at an upper edge of the prism cone and intersecting the upper surface and the side surface, and a camera disposed adjacent to the prism cone and facing the beveled surface. The camera is disposed to directly receive light that enters the lower surface of the prism cone and exits the beveled surface without having been reflected by any surface.

Abstract: Embodiments generally relate to ophthalmic laser procedures and, more particularly, to systems and methods for lenticular laser incisions to form a top lenticular incision, a bottom lenticular incision of a lens in the subject's eye, an added shape between the top and bottom incisions where the added shape has no corrective power and a transition ring bisecting both the top and bottom lenticular incisions.

Abstract: A system and method of treating target tissue in a patient's eye, which includes generating a light beam, deflecting the light beam using a scanner to form first and second treatment patterns, delivering the first treatment pattern to the target tissue to form an incision that provides access to an eye chamber of the patient's eye, and delivering the second treatment pattern to the target tissue to form a relaxation incision along or near limbus tissue or along corneal tissue anterior to the limbus tissue of the patient's eye to reduce astigmatism thereof.

Abstract: A laser eye surgery system focuses light along a beam path to a focal point having a location within a lens of the eye. The refractive index of the lens is determined in response to the location. The lens comprises a surface adjacent a second material having a second refractive index. The beam path extends a distance from the surface to the focal point. The index is determined in response to the distances from the surface to the targeted focal point and from the surface to the actual focal point, which corresponds to a location of a peak intensity of an optical interference signal of the focused light within the lens. The determined refractive index is mapped to a region in the lens, and may be used to generate a gradient index profile of the lens to more accurately place laser beam pulses for incisions.

Abstract: A method implemented in an ophthalmic surgical laser system that employs a resonant scanner, scan line rotator, and XY- and Z-scanners, for forming a corneal flap in a patient's eye with improved bubble management during each step of the flap creation process. A pocket cut is formed first below bed level, followed by the bed connected to the pocket cut, then by a side cut extending from the bed to the anterior corneal surface. The pocket cut includes a pocket region located below the bed level and a ramp region connecting the pocket region to the bed. The bed is formed by a hinge cut and a first ring cut at lower laser energies, followed by a bed cut and then a second ring cut, which ensures that any location in the flap bed is cut twice to minimize tissue adhesion. The side cut is formed by multiple side-cut layers at different depths which are joined together. All cuts are formed by scanning a laser scan line generated by the resonant scanner.

Abstract: A system includes: a first movable stage which is movable with respect to an eye of a subject; a second movable stage mounted on the first movable stage, wherein the second movable stage is movable with respect to the first movable stage; a fixation target disposed on the second movable stage; and an optical system disposed in an optical path between the fixation target and the eye, wherein the optical system is configured for projecting the fixation target upon the eye to accommodate the eye, and wherein moving the second movable stage to a position where the fixation target is moved away from the eye by an additional amount causes blur cues of the fixation target to indicate to the subject that the fixation target is moving away from the eye while the size of an image of the fixation target on the retina of the eye decreases.

Abstract: A system includes: at least one processor; a movable stage, wherein the movable stage is movable under control of the at least one processor with respect to an eye of a subject; a video display device configured to move with the movable stage; and an optical system disposed in an optical path between the video display device and the eye. The video display device is configured to play a movie of a fixation target to the eye to cause the eye to accommodate, and the movie dynamically changes an appearance of the fixation target on the video display device to compensate for Bokeh of the fixation target as the movable stage moves the video display device from a first position, where the fixation target draws a focus of the eye to near its far point, to a second position further away from the eye than the first position.

Abstract: A laser eye surgery system includes a computer which scans a focused laser beam in a trajectory over a reticle or target and determines beam quality via laser light reflected from the target. The target may have a grid pattern of lines, with the diameter of the focused laser beam determined based on a time interval for the scanned beam to move onto a line of the grid pattern. Methods for measuring beam quality in a laser eye surgery system provide a direct, quantitative quality measurement of the focused laser beam, and may be performed quickly and automatically. Using scanning mirror position information together with signals resulting from laser light reflected from the target, the laser eye surgery system may also be calibrated.

Abstract: An ophthalmic surgical laser system includes a laser beam delivery system having multiple moving components for scanning a laser focal spot in a target eye tissue, where the motors that actuate some of the moving components are equipped with respective digital encoders that measure actual motor positions. A controller controls the laser beam delivery system to perform a treatment scan, while recording the actual motor positions from the encoders. Using the actual motor positions and a calibration relationship between actual motor positions and delivered laser focal spot positions in a target tissue, a laser cutting pattern is digitally reconstructed, which represents the incisions actually achieved by the treatment scan. The reconstructed laser cutting pattern may be visually inspected and further analyzed, e.g. to compare it to the intended laser cutting pattern used to execute the treatment scan, to calculate the achieved refractive correction, or to simulate tissue resetting.

Abstract: A laser eye surgery system includes a laser to generate a laser beam. A topography measurement system measures corneal topography. A processor is coupled to the laser and the topography measurement system, the processor embodying instructions to measure a first corneal topography of the eye, A first curvature of the cornea is determined. A target curvature of the cornea that treats the eye is determined. A first set of incisions and a set of partial incisions in the cornea smaller than the first set of incisions are determined. The set of partial incisions is incised on the cornea by the laser beam. A second corneal topography is measured. A second curvature of the cornea is determined. The second curvature is determined to differ from the target curvature and a second set of incisions are determined. The second set of incisions is incised on the cornea.

Abstract: A system includes: a first movable stage which is movable with respect to an eye of a subject; a second movable stage mounted on the first movable stage, wherein the second movable stage is movable with respect to the first movable stage; a fixation target disposed on the second movable stage; and an optical system disposed in an optical path between the fixation target and the eye, wherein the optical system is configured for projecting the fixation target upon the eye to accommodate the eye. The optical system includes a Stokes cell in the optical path between the fixation target and the eye. The optical system non-telecentrically projects the fixation target upon the eye.

Abstract: A magnetic positioning system and related method for automated or assisted eye-docking in ophthalmic surgery. The system includes a magnetic field sensing system on a laser head and a magnet on a patient interface to be mounted on the patient's eye. The magnetic field sensing system includes four magnetic field sensors located on a horizontal plane for detecting the magnetic field of the magnet, where one pair of sensors are located along the X direction at equal distances from the optical axis of the laser head and another pair are located along the Y direction at equal distances from the optical axis. Based on relative magnitudes of the magnetic field detected by each pair of sensors, the magnetic field sensing system determines whether the patient interface is centered on the optical axis. The system controls the laser head to move toward the patient interface until the latter is centered on the optical axis.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are configures to measure an eye without contacting the eye with a patient interface, and these measurements are used to determine alignment and placement of the incisions when the patient interface contacts the eye. The pre-contact locations of one or more structures of the eye can be used to determine corresponding post-contact locations of the one or more optical structures of the eye when the patient interface has contacted the eye, such that the laser incisions are placed at locations that promote normal vision of the eye. The incisions are positioned in relation to the pre-contact optical structures of the eye, such as an astigmatic treatment axis, nodal points of the eye, and visual axis of the eye.

Abstract: A laser eye surgery system that has a patient interface between the eye and the laser system relying on suction to hold the interface to the eye. The patient interface may be a liquid-filled interface, with liquid used as a transmission medium for the laser. During a laser procedure various inputs are monitored to detect a leak. The inputs may include a video feed of the eye looking for air bubbles in the liquid medium, the force sensors on the patient interface that detect patient movement, and vacuum sensors directly sensing the level of suction between the patient interface and the eye. The method may include combining three monitoring activities with a Bayesian algorithm that computes the probabilities of an imminent vacuum loss event.

Abstract: An RF (radio frequency) positioning system and related method for automated or assisted eye-docking in ophthalmic surgery. The system includes an RF detector system on a laser head and an RFID tag on a patient interface to be mounted on the patient's eye. The detector system includes four RF antennas located on a horizontal plane for detecting RF signals from the RFID tag, where one pair of antennas are located along the X direction at equal distances from the optical axis of the laser head and another pair are located along the Y direction at equal distances from the optical axis. Based on relative strengths and phase difference of the RF signals detected by each pair of antennas, the RF detector system determines whether the patient interface is centered on the optical axis. The RF detector system controls the laser head to move toward the patient interface until the latter is centered on the optical axis.

Abstract: A laser surgical method for performing a corneal incision while maintaining iris exposure below a predetermined exposure limit includes determining an initial iris exposure based on an initial treatment scan, determining whether the initial iris exposure is less than the predetermined exposure limit, generating a revised treatment scan comprising one or more treatment scan modifying elements when the initial iris exposure is greater than the predetermined exposure limit, and scanning the focal zone of a pulsed laser beam according to the revised treatment scan, thereby performing the corneal incision, wherein the one or more treatment scan modifying elements causes the iris exposure to be smaller than the predetermined exposure limit.