An ophthalmic laser system uses a non-confocal configuration to determine a laser beam focus position relative to the patient interface (PI) surface. The system includes a light intensity detector with no confocal lens or pinhole between the detector and the objective lens. When the objective focuses the light to a target focus point inside the PI lens at a particular offset from its distal surface, the light signal at the detector peaks. The offset value is determined by fixed system parameters, and can also be empirically determined by directly measuring the PI lens surface by observing the effect of plasma formation at the glass surface. During ophthalmic procedures, the laser focus is first scanned insider the PI lens, and the target focus point location is determined from the peak of the detector signal. The known offset value is then added to obtain the location of the PI lens surface.

A system for processing a portion in a processing volume of a transparent material by application of focused radiation including a device for generating and an optical system for focusing radiation, with a device for changing the position of the focus of the radiation and a control device. The system includes a controller that controls the ophthalmologic therapy system. The controller is encoded with a scan pattern. The scan pattern includes adjacent strokes with each adjacent stroke having an angle of inclination (?) to the beam axis; and the angle of inclination (?) of the strokes to the beam axis is always larger than or equal to the focal angle (?) of the focused radiation.

Apparatus to treat an eye comprises 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. A coupling sensor is coupled to the retention structure or the suction line to determine coupling of the retention structure to the eye. A fluid collecting container can be coupled to the retention structure to receive and collect liquid or viscous material from the retention structure. A fluid stop comprising a porous structure can be coupled to an outlet of the fluid collecting container to inhibit passage of the liquid or viscous material when the container has received an amount of the liquid or viscous material. The coupling sensor can be coupled upstream of the porous structure to provide a rapid measurement of the coupling of the retention structure to the eye.

An exemplary surgical device includes a shaft with a lumen defined therethrough and an element movable from a stored position to a deployed position in which a larger portion of the element extends out of the distal end of the lumen; wherein motion from the stored position to the deployed position causes a first leg of the element to advance distally relative to the distal end of the shaft, and causes a second leg of the element to move proximally relative to the distal end of the shaft.

An exemplary surgical device includes a shaft with a lumen defined therethrough and an element movable from a stored position to a deployed position in which a larger portion of the element extends out of the distal end of the lumen; wherein motion from the stored position to the deployed position causes a first leg of the element to advance distally relative to the distal end of the shaft, and causes a second leg of the element to move proximally relative to the distal end of the shaft.

In certain embodiments, a laser device for laser processing of an eye comprises a source of a pulsed laser beam, a detector system that photodetects partial beams generated from the laser beam, and a control unit that evaluates the detection signals. A first detection element of the detector system provides a first detection signal based on single-photon absorption. A second detection element provides a second detection signal based on two-photon absorption. The control unit puts the measured signal strengths of the two detection signals into a ratio to one another. Variations in the resulting ratio value may be traced back to variations in the pulse duration and/or wave front of the laser beam. The control unit may initiate countermeasures to maintain the beam quality of the laser beam.

There is provided a system, apparatus and methods for developing laser systems that can create precise predetermined clear corneal incisions that are capable of reducing induced astigmatism. The systems, apparatus and methods further provide laser systems that can provide these incisions at or below Bowman's membrane.

Embodiments of this invention generally relate to ophthalmic laser procedures and, more particularly, to systems and methods for creating synchronized three-dimensional laser incisions. In an embodiment, an ophthalmic surgical laser system comprises a laser delivery system for delivering a pulsed laser beam to a target in a subject's eye, an XY-scan device to deflect the pulsed laser beam, a Z-scan device to modify a depth of a focus of the pulsed laser beam, and a controller configured to synchronize an oscillation of the XY-scan device and an oscillation of the Z-device to form an angled three-dimensional laser tissue dissection.

An integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus, and associated systems and methods that allow a physician (e.g., a surgeon) to perform laser surgical procedures on an eye structure or a body surface with an integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus disposed at a first (i.e. local) location from a control system disposed at a second (i.e. remote) location, e.g., a physician's office. In some embodiments, communication between the integral laser imaging and treatment apparatus and control system is achieved via the Internet. Also, in some embodiments, the laser imaging and treatment apparatus includes a dynamic imaging system that verifies the identity of a patient, and is capable of being used for other important applications, such as tracking and analyzing trends in a disease process. Further, in some embodiments, the laser imaging and treatment apparatus determines the geographical location of the local laser generation unit of the system using GPS.

Systems and methods are described for cataract intervention. In one embodiment a system comprises a laser source configured to produce a treatment beam comprising a plurality of laser pulses; an integrated optical system comprising an imaging assembly operatively coupled to a treatment laser delivery assembly such that they share at least one common optical element, the integrated optical system being configured to acquire image information pertinent to one or more targeted tissue structures and direct the treatment beam in a 3-dimensional pattern to cause breakdown in at least one of the targeted tissue structures; and a controller operatively coupled to the laser source and integrated optical system, and configured to adjust the laser beam and treatment pattern based upon the image information, and distinguish two or more anatomical structures of the eye based at least in part upon a robust least squares fit analysis of the image information.