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.

A patient interface system for positioning a patient's eye relative to a laser device for laser surgery is disclosed that includes a patient interface for coupling to the patient's eye, and a patient interface holder for arranging the patient interface on the laser device. The patient interface holder has a suction duct for connecting to a suction device, and the patient interface has a fluid-conducting device that couples to the patient interface holder, and when in the coupled state, together form a fluid path which fluidically couples the suction duct to the patient interface in order to hold a first positioning device of the patient interface against the patient's eye by a relative negative pressure generated by the suction device. A method is disclosed for coupling a patient interface to a patient interface holder, and a patient interface. A patient interface holder is also disclosed.

A method of treating a cataractous lens of a patient's eye includes generating a light beam, deflecting the light beam using a scanner to form a treatment pattern, delivering the treatment pattern to the lens of the patient's eye to create a plurality of cuts in the form two or more different incisions patterns within the lens to segment the lens tissue into a plurality of patterned pieces, and mechanically breaking the lens into a plurality of pieces along the cuts. A first incision pattern includes two or more crossing cut incision planes. A second incision pattern includes a plurality of laser incision each extending along a first length between a posterior and an anterior surface of the lens capsule.

In some examples, a laser-based ophthalmological surgical system (hereinafter system) includes a therapeutic radiation source configured to emit therapeutic radiation at a first intensity during a therapeutic portion and to emit probe radiation with a second intensity which is less than the first intensity during a probe portion. The system may also include one or more optical elements configured to direct the therapeutic portion and the probe portion into an eye of a patient and to collect reflected radiation from the eye of the patient. The reflected radiation may be indicative of dynamics of microbubbles in the cells of the eye of the patient.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an eye surgical laser for the separation of a volume body with predefined interfaces from a human or animal cornea, comprising controlling the laser by means of a control device such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a predefined pattern into the cornea, wherein the interfaces of the volume body to be separated are defined by the predefined pattern and a surface of the cornea and the interfaces located in the cornea are generated by means of photodisruption. The invention further relates to a treatment device with at least one eye surgical laser for the separation of a predefined corneal volume with predefined interfaces of a human or animal eye by means of photodisruption and at least one control device for the laser or lasers, which is formed to execute the steps of the method according to the invention.

In an ophthalmic laser surgical system, a real-time optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurement method acquires OCT data during laser treatment. The treatment laser beam and OCT sample beam are generated simultaneously, and the optical delivery system scans them simultaneously in the eye tissue, where the focus of the treatment laser beam and the focus of the OCT beam coincide with each other in space. While both beams simultaneously scanned in the eye tissue, the OCT device detects returned OCT light from the sample during a data acquisition period, and generates an OCT A-scan based on the detected OCT light. Based on the A-scan, a controller determines a structure of the eye in a depth direction relative to the focus of the OCT beam, and controls the operations ophthalmic laser surgical system accordingly. One exemplary application is the formation of an arcuate corneal incision in cataract surgery.

Apparatuses and methods for the treatment of glaucoma are provided. The instrument uses either cauterization, a laser to ablate, sonic or ultrasonic energy to emulsify, or mechanical cutting of a portion of the trabecular meshwork. The instrument may also be provided with irrigation, aspiration, and a footplate. The footplate is used to enter Schlemm's canal, serves as a guide, and also protects Schlemm's canal.

Because vision loss in most forms of glaucoma is related to elevated IOP, most glaucoma treatment protocols are concerned with lowering IOP by increasing aqueous humor outflow. The invention utilizes electromagnetic radiation to create retraction in the iris tissue, thereby (a) reducing convexity and enlarging the drainage angle and thus the area of the anterior chamber, (b) reducing contact between the zonule fibers and the iris pigment epithelium, (c) applying greater tension to both the TM and uveoscleral outflow pathways, thereby enlarging those pathways and increasing outflow.

A system and method for inserting an intraocular lens in a patient's eye includes a light source for generating a light beam, a scanner for deflecting the light beam to form an enclosed treatment pattern that includes a registration feature, and a delivery system for delivering the enclosed treatment pattern to target tissue in the patient's eye to form an enclosed incision therein having the registration feature. An intraocular lens is placed within the enclosed incision, wherein the intraocular lens has a registration feature that engages with the registration feature of the enclosed incision. Alternately, the scanner can make a separate registration incision for a post that is connected to the intraocular lens via a strut member.

In certain embodiments, a device comprises a laser device and a control computer. The laser device directs a laser beam with laser energy through an outer portion of an eye to a target portion of the eye. The control computer receives an optical density measurement of the outer portion, determines the laser energy according to the optical density measurement, and instructs the laser device to direct the laser beam with the laser energy through the outer portion of the eye to the target portion of the eye.