A laser system calibration method and system are provided. In some methods, a calibration plate may be used to calibrate a video camera of the laser system. The video camera pixel locations may be mapped to the physical space. A xy-scan device of the laser system may be calibrated by defining control parameters for actuating components of the xy-scan device to scan a beam to a series of locations. Optionally, the beam may be scanned to a series of locations on a fluorescent plate. The video camera may be used to capture reflected light from the fluorescent plate. The xy-scan device may then be calibrated by mapping the xy-scan device control parameters to physical locations. A desired z-depth focus may be determined by defining control parameters for focusing a beam to different depths. The video camera or a confocal detector may be used to detect the scanned depths.

A method for a minimally invasive, cell-selective laser therapy on the eye. The method, based on a short-pulse laser system, allows for different selective types of therapy on the eye. The method is based on a frequency-doubled, continuously working solid-state laser including a pump source and a control unit. The control unit regulates the pump source such that the solid-state laser emits individual pulses with pulse lengths ranging from 50 ns to continuous, wherein pulse lengths ranging from 50 ns to 50 μs are provided for selective therapies and pulse lengths ranging from 50 μs to continuous are provided for coagulative or stimulating therapies, in particular in the range from 1 ms to 500 ms. The proposed method enables a selective treatment of melanin-containing cells in the different areas of the eye via the targeted control of the pump source.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser system for treating a floater in a vitreous of an eye includes a laser device that directs laser pulses towards the floater to yield cavitation bubbles that create a bubble jet to treat the floater. In some examples, the laser device includes a beam multiplexer that splits a laser beam into multiple beams that form the cavitation bubbles that create the bubble jet. In some examples, the laser device directs laser pulses towards the floater according to a pulse pattern that forms the cavitation bubbles that create the bubble jet.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a target tissue in an eye includes a target detection system and a laser device. The target tissue has an optical breakdown threshold. The target detection system directs detection beams along a detection beam path towards the target tissue in a vitreous of the eye, and determines a location of the target tissue within the vitreous. The laser device includes a femtosecond laser that generates subthreshold laser pulses that have a pulse energy below the optical breakdown threshold of the tissue. The laser device directs a laser beam comprising the subthreshold laser pulses along a laser beam path towards the target tissue.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for imaging and treating a target in an eye includes an imaging system. The imaging system includes a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) device and an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device. The SLO device generates SLO images, and the OCT device generates OCT images. The SLO device and the OCT device share a scanning system and a light detector. The scanning system scans SLO and OCT imaging beams within the eye. The light detector detects the SLO and OCT imaging beams reflected from the eye and generates SLO and OCT signals in response to detecting the imaging beams.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for imaging and treating a target in an eye includes a laser device, imaging system, and computer. The laser device directs the focus of a laser beam towards an intended location (x0, y0, z0) of the target to yield a cavitation bubble in the vitreous. The imaging system directs imaging beams towards the target, receives the imaging beams reflected from the eye, generates an image of the cavitation bubble from the reflected imaging beams, and measures an actual location (x, y, z) of the cavitation bubble according to the image. The computer determines an error vector that describes an error between the intended location and the actual location, determines a correction vector to compensate for the error, and instructs the laser device to use the correction vector to direct the laser beam towards the target to treat the target.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a floater in an eye includes a scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) device, a treatment laser device, and an xy-scanner. The SLO device directs an SLO beam towards the retina of the eye, generates an image that includes the floater shadow from the SLO beam reflected from the eye, determines the xy-location of the floater shadow, and determines the z-location of the floater relative to the retina using the confocal filter. The treatment laser device receives the z-location of the floater from the SLO device, and directs a laser beam towards the z-location. The xy-scanner receives the SLO beam from the SLO device and directs the SLO beam towards the xy-location of the floater shadow. The xy-scanner also receives the laser beam from the treatment laser device and directs the laser beam towards the xy-location of the floater shadow.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for imaging and treating a target in an eye includes a digital micromirror device (DMD) confocal microscope, a laser device, and a computer. The DMD confocal microscope generates of images of the eye and includes a light source, a DMD device, and an image sensor. The light source provides a microscope imaging beam. The DMD device directs the microscope imaging beam along an imaging path towards the eye, receives the microscope imaging beam reflected from the eye, and rejects light of the reflected microscope imaging beam that is not from an image plane to scan the microscope imaging beam. The image sensor detects the scanned microscope imaging beam to generate the images of the eye. The laser device directs a laser beam along a laser beam path towards the target in the eye.

A method of performing laser surgery in a patient's eye includes generating a light beam, deflecting the light beam using a scanner to form an enclosed treatment pattern that is configured to form an enclosed capsulorhexis incision that includes a registration feature, and delivering the enclosed treatment pattern to target tissue in the patient's eye to form in an anterior lens capsule of the patient's eye the enclosed capsulorhexis incision that includes the registration feature. The registration feature is configured so that an edge of the target tissue formed by the enclosed capsulorhexis incision mates with an intraocular lens registration feature on an intraocular lens so as to rotationally register the intraocular lens relative to the registration feature.

An ophthalmic laser surgical system includes a pulsed laser source configured to generate a pulsed laser beam, optics configured to direct the laser beam towards a target region in a lens of an eye, and a processor configured to control the optics to form a regular array of cells in the target region by creating layers of photodisrupted bubbles to generate cell boundaries. The layers are created by causing the optics to scan the pulsed laser according to a curvature of a focal plane of the optics to track a natural curvature of the lens.