The invention relates to a cutting apparatus including a femtosecond laser source (10) for emitting a Gaussian laser beam, a shaping system (30) including a spatial modulator of light for modulating the Gaussian laser beam, a sweeping optical scanner (40) for moving the modulated laser beam, an optical focusing system (50) for focusing the modulated laser beam, characterised in that the processing device further comprises a control unit (60) for controlling the femtosecond laser source (10), the shaping system (30), the sweeping optical scanner (40) and the optical focusing system (50), in order to produce: at least one vertical cutting plane, and at least one horizontal cutting plane; the spatial light modulator of the shaping system (30) being capable of emulating an axicon for generating a Bessel beam.

A laser treatment unit for performing eye surgery, including a contact glass which can be placed onto the eye and through which a treatment laser beam (2) passes. A safety mechanism displaceably holds the contact glass such that the contact glass retreats when the contact glass is subjected to the action of a force contrary to the direction of incidence of the laser beam. The safety mechanism enables this retreating when a force is greater than a force limit value (F.sub.min) and holds the contact glass in a fixed manner when the force is less than the force limit value.

For the purposes of working on eye tissue, an ophthalmological apparatus comprises a laser source that is configured to produce a pulsed laser beam, a focusing optical unit that is configured to focus the pulsed laser beam into the eye tissue, and a scanner system for deflecting the pulsed laser beam onto work target points in the eye tissue. A circuit controls the scanner system in such a way that the scanner system guides the pulsed laser beam into work trajectories that extend next to one another, in order, initially, to produce cut trajectories, separated by remaining tissue bridges, of a tissue cut to be undertaken in an area and in order, thereafter, to guide the pulsed laser beam in the remaining tissue bridges between the cut trajectories in order to complete the tissue cut.

A method for generating control data for a treatment device includes providing cornea data based on data of a refractive correction and specifying the cornea incision surfaces. The cornea incision surfaces include a cap incision surface disposed beneath a surface layer of corneal tissue and partially defining a selected lenticule volume and a lenticule incision surface disposed beneath the cap incision surface and further defining the selected lenticule volume. The method further includes generating a control data record for the cornea incision surfaces for purposes of controlling the laser apparatus. The cap incision surface is irregularly shaped and has extensions into surrounding tissue, and/or the lenticule incision surface is irregularly shaped and has extensions into surrounding tissue. The lenticule incision surface and the cap incision surface isolate the selected lenticule volume.

The present invention concerns a cutting apparatus including a femtosecond laser (1), a shaping system (2) downstream from the femtosecond laser (1), for forming a phase-modulated laser beam, an optical scanner (4) downstream from the shaping system (2), and optical focusing system (5) downstream from the optical scanner (4), a control unit (6) for controlling the shaping system (2), the optical scanner (4) and the optical focusing system (5), characterized in that the apparatus further comprises an optical coupler (3) between the femtosecond laser (1) and the shaping system (2), the optical coupler (3) including a photonic crystal optical fiber for filtering the phase-modulated laser beam (21) coming from the shaping system (2).

For the purposes of working on eye tissue, an ophthalmological apparatus comprises a laser source that is configured to produce a pulsed laser beam, a focusing optical unit that is configured to focus the pulsed laser beam into the eye tissue, and a scanner system for deflecting the pulsed laser beam onto work target points in the eye tissue. The scanner system is configured to guide the pulsed laser beam onto work target points along a scan line that extends across a work line at an alignment angle and to tilt the scan line depending on the work target point on the work line in such a way that the scan line extends substantially along an outer face of a lenticule to be cut in the eye tissue.

In a general aspect, a vitrectomy system is adapted to use photodisruption to rupture eye tissue. In some aspects, a photodisruption-based vitrectomy system includes a laser source configured to generate optical pulses having a pulse energy greater than a threshold energy for causing photodisruption in vitreous humor. The system also includes an optical switching device arranged to receive an output of the laser source, and an optical fiber with multiple cores that is arranged to receive an output of the optical switching device. The optical switching device is configured to select a core of the optical fiber and direct optical pulses received from the laser source into the selected core.

A method is disclosed for determining a current position of an eye of a patient relative to an optical axis of a laser beam of a treatment apparatus. The method includes presetting a criterion characterizing the eye, determining a first target position of the eye relative to the optical axis, positioning a patient interface in a preset area in front of the optical axis, illuminating the eye during an approaching procedure of the patient interface to the eye, capturing a Purkinje image, which is associated with a cornea of the eye, by means of an optical capturing device during the approaching procedure, comparing the captured Purkinje image to the optical axis and determining the current position of the eye depending thereon, comparing the current position to the target position and with a deviation, outputting a control signal to a control device of the treatment apparatus.

An ophthalmic system may comprise an imaging device having a field of view oriented toward the eye of the patient; a patient interface housing defining a passage therethrough, having a distal end coupled to one or more seals configured to be directly engaged with one or more surfaces of the eye of the patient, and wherein the proximal end is configured to be coupled to the patient workstation such that at least a portion of the field of view of the imaging device passes through the passage; and two or more registration fiducials coupled to the patient interface housing in a predetermined geometric configuration relative to the patient interface housing within the field of view of the imaging device such that they may be imaged by the imaging device in reference to predetermined geometric markers on the eye of the patient which may also be imaged by the imaging device.

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.