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 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.

Techniques are described herein that are capable of tracking an eye of a user using multiple lasers. Light from the lasers is scanned across respective partially overlapping portions of a region that includes an eye of a user during respective time periods. Portion(s) of the light that are reflected from the eye are detected by respective photodetector(s). In an example implementation, a signal corresponding to the detected portion(s) is provided in a pixel of a frame buffer based at least in part on a current angle of a mirror used to scan the light across the region. In a second implementation, digital state(s) are provided based at least in part on difference(s) between a reference signal and signal(s) corresponding to the detected portion(s), and a time value indicating a time at which a glint is detected by a photodetector is provided when a digital state triggers an interrupt handler.

In certain embodiments, a system for tracking movement of an eye comprises a camera system, a computer system, and an output device. The camera system generates images of the eye. The computer system stores the images and at least one of the images as a reference image. The computer system also tracks movement of the eye within a tracking range by comparing a current image with the reference image, and by determining a movement of the eye from the comparison of the current image and the reference image. The tracking range has one or more alert points. The computer system also determines an orientation of the eye relative to at least one alert point of the tracking range. The output device outputs a range indicator that indicates the orientation of the eye relative to the at least one alert point of the tracking range.

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 method for modifying a refractive property of ocular tissue in an eye by creating at least one optically-modified gradient index (GRIN) layer in the corneal stroma and/or the crystalline by continuously scanning a continuous stream of laser pulses having a focal volume from a laser having a known average power along a continuous line having a smoothly changing refractive index within the tissue, and varying either or both of the scan speed and the laser average power during the scan. The method may further involve determining a desired vision correction adjustment, and determining a position, number, and design parameters of gradient index (GRIN) layers to be created within the ocular tissue to provide the desired vision correction.

A vacuum device comprises a vacuum generator and a vacuum interface for fluidically coupling the vacuum generator to a vacuum cavity for affixing an ophthalmological patient interface on a patient's eye. The vacuum device comprises a movement detector which is configured to detect movements of the patient's eye and a control unit that is configured to detect a faulty fluidic coupling of the vacuum cavity on the basis of a pressure that is ascertained by a coupled pressure sensor and to produce a control signal for interrupting an ophthalmological treatment that is carried out by an ophthalmological treatment device if an eye movement is detected by the movement detector at the same time as the detected faulty fluidic coupling of the vacuum cavity.

The present invention relates to a device for controlling the movement of an ocular therapy apparatus of the type comprising an articulated support arm (2), of which the free end is intended to be placed opposite an ocular tissue, an acquisition system (4) mounted on the arm (2) for acquisition of a measurement pair comprising an image of the ocular tissue, and a signal representative of a vertical distance along the axis Z between the end of the arm and the ocular tissue, characterized in that the control device (5) comprises means for actuating the acquisition system (4), means for processing each measurement pair acquired, and servo means for moving the free end of the arm (2) between an initial position and a desired final position.

In certain embodiments, a system for performing refractive treatment of an eye comprises a laser, a printer, and a computer. The laser emits a laser beam to prepare the eye for the refractive treatment. The printer prints material onto a print area of a target. The printer comprises a printer head and a printer controller. The printer head directs the material onto the print area, and the printer controller moves the printer head to direct the material onto a specific location of the print area. The computer comprises a memory and processors. The memory stores instructions for a pattern for the target. The pattern is designed to provide the refractive treatment for the eye. The processors instruct the printer controller to move the printer head to print the material onto the print area according to the pattern.

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.