Systems and methods are provided for in vivo pre-surgical characterization of lenses, such as cataractous lenses. A method comprises obtaining an electromagnetically-measured value related to the axial thickness of the lens, obtaining an ultrasound-measured value related to the axial thickness of the lens, calculating a relationship value based upon the electromagnetically-measured value and the ultrasound-measured value, and determining a mechanical property value based upon the calculated relationship value. The mechanical property may relate to lens hardness, rigidity, or density, or the amount of energy for a phacoemulsification procedure. A system may comprise an optical interferometer for measuring data to obtain the electromagnetically-measured value and an ultrasound biometer for measuring data to obtain the ultrasound-measured value.

In a cataract procedure, a new geometry of a lens segmentation pattern reduces the required phacoemulsification energy to remove the lens. The lens segmentation process employs a three-dimensional spiral lens segmentation pattern that resembles a spiral staircase or a spiral ramp, to incise a vertical cylindrical volume of the lens into a three-dimensional spiral that can be more easily removed. The segmentation patter is formed by scanning the laser focal spot in a layer by layer manner, each layer including a closed curve corresponding to the outer boundary of the segmentation volume, and a filled area inside the closed curve forming a horizontal step of the spiral staircase. The horizontal steps of vertically adjacent layers are offset by an offset angle, creating the spiral lens segmentation pattern that form a spiral volume.

An exemplary surgical device includes a shaft with a lumen defined therethrough and an element movable from a stored position to a deployed position in which a larger portion of the element extends out of the distal end of the lumen; wherein motion from the stored position to the deployed position causes a first leg of the element to advance distally relative to the distal end of the shaft, and causes a second leg of the element to move proximally relative to the distal end of the shaft.

Devices to perform femtolaser ablation and phacoemulsification are physically and/or operationally combined. In some embodiments the femtolaser ablation and phacoemulsification are housed together, and in other embodiments they are housed separately, but operated through a common display screen. At least some software can be shared by the femtolaser ablation and phacoemulsification functionalities. A non-transitory computer-readable memory can provide data that can be used to operate each of at least one femtolaser ablation functionality and at least one phacoemulsification functionality.

There is provided a system, apparatus and methods for developing laser systems that can create precise predetermined clear corneal incisions that are capable of reducing induced astigmatism. The systems, apparatus and methods further provide laser systems that can provide these incisions at or below Bowman's membrane.

The present invention relates to apparatus for cutting out a human or animal tissue, such as a cornea, or a lens, said apparatus including a treatment device for producing a pattern consisting of at least two impact points in a focusing plane from a L.A.S.E.R. beam generated by a femtosecond laser (1), the treatment device being positioned downstream from said femtosecond laser, remarkable in that the treatment device comprises an optical focusing system (5) for focusing the L.A.S.E.R. beam in a cutting-out plane, and a control unit (6) able to control the displacement of the optical focusing system along an optical path of the L.A.S.E.R. beam for displacing the focusing plane in at least three respective cutting-out planes so as to form a stack of surfaces for cutting out the tissue.

A method for detecting structures within an optical element of an eye and processing the optical element as a function of the detected structures includes acquiring, by a detection device, geometric data of an eye, transferring, by the detection device, the geometric data of the eye to a controller, calculating, by the controller, target coordinates for a processing device including a laser, the processing device being connected to the controller, and applying a beam produced by the laser to the eye according to the target coordinates calculated by the controller so as to process the optical element.

A laser system including a laser source that generates a laser beam and an optical switch that receives the laser beam and selectively sends the laser beam to either a fast path or a slow path, wherein in the fast path the laser beam has a first F/# and in the slow path the laser beam has a second F/# that is higher in value that of the first F/#. The laser system further including an afocal optical system that is in the slow path and receives the laser beam from the optical switch and an x-y scanner that receives either a first laser beam from the slow path or a second laser beam from the fast path. The laser system including a scan lens system that receives a scanning laser beam from the x-y scanner and performs a z-scan for the scanning laser beam only in the case wherein the scanning laser beam is generated from the laser beam in the fast path. The laser system further including an aspheric patient interface device that receives a laser beam from the scan lens system.

An apparatus for aiding the removal of cataracts in which an optical fiber delivers sufficient optical energy of the correct wavelength, pulse duration to achieve controlled non-thermal and non-acoustic dissolution of hard cataract tissue.

A system and method for inserting an intraocular lens in a patient's eye includes a light source for generating a light beam, a scanner for deflecting the light beam to form an enclosed treatment pattern that includes a registration feature, and a delivery system for delivering the enclosed treatment pattern to target tissue in the patient's eye to form an enclosed incision therein having the registration feature. An intraocular lens is placed within the enclosed incision, wherein the intraocular lens has a registration feature that engages with the registration feature of the enclosed incision. Alternately, the scanner can make a separate registration incision for a post that is connected to the intraocular lens via a strut member.