An ophthalmic surgical laser system and method for forming a lenticule in a subject's eye using “fast-scan-slow-sweep” scanning scheme. A high frequency scanner forms a fast scan line, which is placed by the XY and Z scanners at a location tangential to a parallel of latitude of the surface of the lenticule. The XY and Z scanners then move the scan line in a slow sweep trajectory along a meridian of longitude of the surface of the lenticule in one sweep. Multiple sweeps are performed along different meridians to form the entire lenticule surface, and a prism is used to change the orientation of the scan line of the high frequency scanner between successive sweeps. In each sweep, within a central area of the lenticule where the sweeps overlap, the laser is periodically blanked (or delivered with significantly reduced pulse energy) to reduce the total energy delivered in that area.

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 measurement and laser surgery system includes: a laser source; a corneal topography subsystem; an axis determining subsystem; a ranging subsystem comprising an Optical Coherence Tomographer (OCT); and a refractive index determining subsystem. All of the subsystems are under the operative control of a controller. The controller is configure to: operate the corneal topography subsystem to obtain corneal surface information; operate the axis determining subsystem to identify one or more ophthalmic axes of the eye; operate the OCT to sequentially scan the eye in a plurality of OCT scan patterns, the plurality of scan patterns configured to determine an axial length of the eye; operate the refractive index determining subsystem so to determine an index of refraction of one or more ophthalmic tissues, wherein at least one of the corneal surface information, ophthalmic axis information, and axial length is modified based on the determined index of refraction.

Provided are systems and methods for correcting a corneal surface irregularity surface in a subject. The system generally comprises a infrared laser, for example, and infrared laser and a laser control unit, a corneal contacting unit, a gel solidifying unit and an electronic device tangibly storing algorithms to operate the units. In the methods, a polymerizable or thermo-reversible gel or polymerized resin is applied to the anterior corneal surface and solidified as a layer over the cornea. A first correcting cut is lasered into the stroma of an applanated cornea, the gel layer is then removed and a second correcting cut is lasered in the stroma of the applanated cornea. The lenticule formed intrastromaly by the first and second correcting cuts is removed such that the cornea has a corrected corneal curvature.

A photo detector is selectively coupled to a first integrator or a second integrator with switching circuitry when the laser pulses. An integration time of the signal from the photo detector can be substantially greater than an amount of time between successive laser beam pulses in order to provide an accurate measurement of each laser beam pulse of a high repetition rate pulsed laser. The laser may comprise a clock coupled to an optical switch of the laser system, and control circuitry can control switching and coupling of the detector to the first integrator or the second integrator in response to the clock signal. The first integrator and the second integrator can be selectively coupled to an output such that the first integrator or the second integrator is coupled to the output of the energy detection circuitry when the other integrator is coupled to the detector.

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.

A photodynamic therapy technique for preventing damage to the fovea of the eye or another body portion of a patient is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a treatment laser is applied to a body portion of a patient using a painting technique, the treatment laser being configured to provide paint brush-type photodynamic therapy (PPDT) using the painting technique to the body portion of the patient by emitting light of a predetermined wavelength that is absorbed by tissue of the body portion of the patient to which a photosensitizer has been applied, the body portion of the patient being afflicted by a medical condition. The application of the treatment laser to the body portion of a patient using the painting technique treats the medical condition, reduces the symptoms associated with the medical condition, and/or alleviates the medical condition.

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.