A system for short pulse laser eye surgery and a short pulse laser system, in which a beam guidance device passes through a corresponding articulated arm, and through an applicator head and a microscope head of the system, which is movable in a three-dimensional volume both independently of one another as well as connected to each other. The system also includes, an easy-to-use patient interface with a one-piece contact element, a computer program product for methods of the incision guidance and sequentially operating referencing methods with patient interfaces containing markings.

An ophthalmic treatment system and method for performing therapy on target tissue in a patient's eye. A delivery system delivers treatment light to the patient's eye and a camera captures a live image of the patient's eye. Control electronics control the delivery system, register a pre-treatment image of the patient's eye to the camera's live image (where the pre-treatment image includes a treatment template that identifies target tissue within the patient's eye), and verify whether or not the delivery system is aligned to the target tissue defined by the treatment template. The control electronics control the delivery system to project the treatment light onto the patient's eye in response to both an activation of a trigger device and the verification that the delivery system is aligned to the target tissue, as well as adjust delivery system alignment to track eye movement.

A system and method for increasing the amplitude of accommodation and/or changing the refractive power of lens material of a natural crystalline lens is provided. Generally, there is provided methods and systems for delivering a laser beam to a lens of an eye in a plurality of patterns results in the increased accommodative amplitude and/or refractive power of the lens. There is further provided a system and method of treating presbyopia by increasing both the flexibility of the human lens and the depth of field of the eye.

Exemplary arrangements relate to a method for producing an implant, in particular an implant configured to be inserted into a Schlemm's canal of an eye, which includes the steps of providing an implant blank, which implant blank is comprised of material that is permeable to laser radiation. The method further includes subjecting at least one region of the implant blank to laser radiation. Subsequent to subjecting the least one region to radiation, the method further includes removing material from the at least one region via fluid etching.

An ophthalmological treatment apparatus for resecting a patient cornea element form a patient cornea in posterior lamellar keratoplasty, an ophthalmological manufacture apparatus for manufacturing from a donor cornea a cornea implant, as well as corresponding manufacture and implantation methods are disclosed. The patient cornea cut pattern that is implemented in the patient cornea defines a patient cornea interlocking structure, the patient cornea interlocking structure being configured to interlock the patient cornea with a cornea implant after replacing the patient cornea element by the cornea implant. The corneal implant may have a corresponding cornea implant interlocking structure. The patient cornea interlocking structure and the cornea implant interlocking structure may be arranged at the posterior side of the patient cornea element and the cornea implant, respectively. The ophthalmological treatment apparatus and the ophthalmological manufacture apparatus may include in each case an ophthalmological laser device, in particular with a femtosecond laser source.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a laser (12) of a laser device (10) and/or to a method for performing a surgical procedure comprising at least the steps of: generating laser pulses (40) with a first energy density (42) below a photodisruption regime of a polymer material (26) of a region (16) of an optical element; irradiating a core region (30) with the laser pulses (40), wherein a refractive index of the polymer material (26) changes depending thereon; generating first irradiation lines (34) within the core region (30) and generating a first optical correction (44) in the core region (30); generating laser pulses (40) with a second energy density (46) below a photodisruption regime; irradiating an edge region (36) with the laser pulses (40), wherein the refractive index of the polymer material (26) changes depending thereon; and generating second irradiation lines (38) within the edge region (36) and generating a second optical correction (48) in the edge region (36). Further, the invention relates to a laser device (10), to a computer program as well as to a computer-readable medium.

A first optical subsystem includes a window with a refractive index n.sub.w and an exit lens having a refractive index n.sub.x. The exit lens is configured to couple to the window to define a first optical axis extending through the window and the exit lens. A second optical subsystem is configured to output a light beam. The light beam is directed to be incident at a convex surface of the exit lens along a second optical axis at an angle α that is offset from the first optical axis. The window is configured to detachably couple to the cornea of the eye such that the first optical axis is generally aligned with a direction of view of the eye. The respective refractive indices n.sub.w and n.sub.x are configured to direct the light beam incident at the convex surface of the exit lens through the cornea of the eye toward the irido-corneal angle.

Laser assisted cataract surgery methods and devices utilizing one or more treatment laser beams to create a shaped opening in the anterior lens capsule of the eye when performing a capsulorrhexis procedure. A light absorbing agent may optionally be added onto or into the lens capsule tissue, and the treatment laser wavelength selected to be strongly absorbed by the light absorbing agent. Alternatively, the treatment laser wavelength may be selected to be absorbed or strongly absorbed by the tissue itself, in which case no additional light absorbing agent need be used. Visualization patterns produced with one or more target laser beams may be projected onto the lens capsule tissue to aid in the procedure. The devices may be attached to or integrated with microscopes.

In various embodiments, a laser is scanned across biological tissue to alter the characteristics of the tissue. To alter the optical characteristics of a cornea, the laser is scanned in an annular pattern over a region having a ratio of the outer diameter of the region to the inner diameter of the region. The laser may also be used to irradiate cartilage in joints to treat osteoarthritis.

Transcorneal and fiberoptic laser delivery systems and methods for the treatment of eye diseases wherein energy is delivered by wavelengths transparent to the cornea to effect target tissues in the eye for the control of intraocular pressure in diseases such as glaucoma by delivery systems both external to and within ocular tissues. External delivery may be affected under gonioscopic control. Internal delivery may be controlled endoscopically or fiberoptically, both systems utilizing femtosecond laser energy to excise ocular tissue. The femtosecond light energy is delivered to the target tissues to be treated to effect precisely controlled photodisruption to enable portals for the outflow of aqueous fluid in the case of glaucoma in a manner which minimizes target tissue healing responses, inflammation and scarring.