The planning device for determining control data for a treatment device enables surgical tattooing of the cornea of an eye. Based on the measurement data and functional data introduced, a substantially annular surface is defined, which is located inside the cornea and which is delimited by a circular internal edge with an interior diameter and by a circular external edge with an exterior diameter. The annular surface has a distance and an incline with regard to the surface of the cornea, and for this annular surface, a set of control data for controlling the laser device is generated which defines a pattern of target points in the cornea with perforation zones partially or completely intersecting. Upon application of the pulsed laser beam, the tissue of the cornea is cut, and the external edge of the annular surface has a constant distance relative to the external edge of the iris.

In certain embodiments, a system for controlling a position of a focal point of a laser beam comprises a beam expander, a scanner, an objective lens, and a computer. The beam expander controls the focal point of the laser beam and includes a mirror and expander optical devices. The mirror has a surface curvature that can be adjusted to control a z-position of the focal point. The expander optical devices direct the laser beam towards the mirror and receive the laser beam reflected from the mirror. The scanner receives the laser beam from the beam expander and manipulates the laser beam to control an xy-position of the focal point. The objective lens receives the laser beam from the scanner and directs the beam towards the target. The computer receives a depth instruction, and sets actuation parameters to control the surface curvature of the mirror according to the depth instruction.

Systems and methods for adjusting an angle of incidence of a laser surgery system include a laser source to produce a laser beam and an optical delivery system to output the laser beam pulses to an object at an adjustable incident angle. A first rotator assembly receives the beam from the laser source along a first beam axis. The first rotator assembly rotates around the first beam axis and the first rotator assembly outputs the beam along a second beam axis different from the first beam axis. A second rotator assembly receives the beam from the first rotator assembly along the second beam axis. The second rotator assembly rotates around the second beam axis. The second rotator assembly follows the rotation of the first rotator assembly and the first rotator assembly is independent of the rotation of the second rotator assembly.

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.

A method for forming an incision in an eye, the method including performing a first pass of a first laser beam along a path within an eye, wherein after completion of the first pass there exists a residual uncut layer at an anterior surface of a cornea of the eye. The method further including performing a second pass of a second laser beam only along a portion of the path that contains the residual uncut layer, wherein after completion of the second pass, the residual uncut layer is transformed into a full complete through surface incision.

Embodiments of this invention relate to systems and methods for automatic depth (or Z) detection before, during, or after laser-assisted ophthalmic surgery. When performing ophthalmic laser surgery, the operator (or surgeon) needs to make accurate and precise incisions using the laser beam. With the automatic depth detection systems and methods, the same laser used for the surgical procedure may be used for depth measurement of the surgical incisions. The surgical laser system may include a laser delivery system for delivering a pulsed laser beam to photoalter an eye, a mirror to transmit at least a portion of reflected light of the pulsed laser beam, a lens positioned to focus the transmitted reflected lighted on to a detector, (such as a CCD), and a depth encoder configured to automatically detect depth according to one or more of color, intensity, or shape of the focused spot on the CCD.

A laser instrument for therapy on the human eye, designed for surgery of the cornea, the sclera, the vitreous body or the crystalline lens, especially suitable for use in immediate succession with other instruments for eye diagnosis or eye therapy, in such a way that during the alternating use of the various instruments, the eye or at least the patient preferably remains in a predetermined position and alignment within one and the same treatment area.

A device and a method for using laser energy for treatment of tissue, which can include generating short bursts of energy at a range of pulse repetition rates. The method comprises selective surface and/or three-dimensional interactions for therapeutic use and/or to modify or remove tissue from targets. The device and method can subsurface disruptions in tissue at selected depths and densities.

Laser assisted cataract surgery methods and devices utilize 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 be applied to the anterior lens capsule to facilitate laser thermal separation of tissue along a treatment beam path on the lens capsule. Relative or absolute reflectance from the eye, and optionally from a surgical contact lens, may be measured to confirm and optionally quantify the presence of the light absorbing agent, before the treatment beam is applied. Such measurements may be used to determine that sufficient light absorbing agent is present in the lens capsule so that transmission of the treatment beam through the capsule will be below a predetermined threshold deemed safe for the retina and other interior portions of the eye, and may also be used to determine that sufficient light absorbing agent is present to result in complete laser thermal separation of the anterior capsule along the treatment beam path. Visualization patterns produced with one or more target laser beams may be projected onto the lens capsule tissue to aid in the capsulorrhexis procedure. In addition or alternatively, virtual visualization patterns may presented on a display integrated with a laser assisted cataract surgery device to aid in the procedure. The visual axis of the eye may be determined, during surgery for example, with a laser beam on which the patient is fixated. The orientation of a toric IOL may be assessed during or after placement by observing the reflection from the back of the eye of a laser beam on which the patient is fixated. The devices disclosed herein may be attached to or integrated with microscopes.

A device for machining an object by laser radiation, by photodisruption. The device includes an observation device for imaging the object and a laser scanning device by which the laser radiation is passed over a predetermined sector of the object for scanning the sector. The device includes the observation device with a first lens for imaging the object; the laser scanning device with a second lens, through which the laser radiation is guided, in which both lenses with regard to the dimension of the regions to be produced in the images and/or with regard to their focal intercept are different from each other. The device alternately images the respective region of the object in a first operating mode by the first lens and in a second operating mode by the second lens. It is thus possible to use in both operating modes a lens adapted to the intended imaging purpose.