Rather than rely solely upon pupillary occlusion or tracking of eye movement to protect the fundus from accidental exposure to electromagnetic radiation, the present invention also utilizes an electromagnetic radiation pathway with a profile such that the energy density at the iris is greater than the energy density at the posterior portion of the eye. This disparity in energy density allows for efficacy at the anterior iris treatment site, without injury to the fundus.

Because vision loss in most forms of glaucoma is related to elevated IOP, most glaucoma treatment protocols are concerned with lowering IOP by increasing aqueous humor outflow. The invention utilizes electromagnetic radiation to create retraction in the iris tissue, thereby (a) reducing convexity and enlarging the drainage angle and thus the area of the anterior chamber, (b) reducing contact between the zonule fibers and the iris pigment epithelium, (c) applying greater tension to both the TM and uveoscleral outflow pathways, thereby enlarging those pathways and increasing outflow.

The present invention predicts prior to a laser iris color-change procedure what a patient's iris color will be after the procedure. The present invention does so by identifying and measuring a variety of anatomical features of the patient's eye that affect or are otherwise relevant to predicting the patient's post-operative iris color, translating these measurements into a post-operative iris color prediction, and communicating this prediction to the patient in a manner sufficient to manage the patient's expectations with respect to the aesthetic outcome of the procedure.

The invention is related to iris color changing method that ensures a color change in iris by shedding the layer that contain the cells with melanin pigments in the upper superficial part and stroma of the iris, colored part of the eye, through photo-disruptive effect.

A method and system of producing a digitally printed iris structure for an artificial eye by using suitable digital graphics software, the appearance of a dilating pupil/collarette is created within the combined center portion/inner ring area of a prosthetic eyein that a pupil appears to dilate from a small diameter in bright light to a comparatively large diameter in dimmer or darker light. The process of creating such effect is a unique extension of the knowledge that certain colors and pigments in bright light are most apparent, and in dark light tend to appear grey to black.

The underlying invention comprise a method for changing the human perceptual color appearance of the iris of a human's or animal's eye by selectively decreasing the density of pigments of the anterior stroma layer of the iris, the method comprising the steps of generating a plurality of predefined energy quantities; applying one or more of the predefined energy quantities to the anterior stroma layer, wherein each of the predefined energy quantities is generated and applied such that it ablates at least in part melanocytes of the stroma, wherein the predefined energy quantities at least in part are generated and applied in such a way that ablated tissue generated as an immediate cause of the energy quantities is discharged into the anterior eye chamber such that the discharged tissue can be removed by maintaining a mechanically generated flow of rinsing solution through or within the anterior eye chamber.

The underlying invention is directed to a method for changing the human perceptual color appearance of the iris of a human's or animal's eye by selectively decreasing the density of pigments of the anterior stroma layer of the iris. The method comprises generating, by a generator module, a plurality of predefined energy quantities; and applying, by the genera-tor module, one or more of the predefined energy quantities to the anterior stroma layer, wherein each of the predefined energy quantities is generated and applied, such that the energy quantities ablate, at least in part, melanocytes of the stroma whilst leaving non-melanocyte tissue of at least the stroma essentially undamaged, and wherein the predefined energy quantities generated and applied to the anterior stroma layer in the form of pressure waves and/or pulses generated within a fluid medium that is in fluidical communication with the anterior stroma layer.

A method for altering an eye color of a patient with a color alteration procedure is disclosed that may include imaging the iris with an image sensor prior to the color alteration procedure to generate an image of the iris. A mapping of the iris may be generated from the image. The mapping may include a number of regions corresponding to varying absorption coefficients of a treatment wavelength in the stromal pigment of the iris. A laser system may be set, based on the mapping, to deliver laser light at a laser power sufficient to cause elimination of at least a portion of stromal pigment in the iris. The laser light may then be delivered with the laser system.

A method for altering an eye color of a patient with a color alteration procedure is disclosed that may include determining a laser power to deliver to stromal pigment in an iris of the eye of the patient by at least retrieving a set of laser criteria for delivery of an exposure less than 100 times a maximum permissible exposure that causes elimination of at least a portion of the stromal pigment. A laser system may be set to deliver laser light at the laser power which is less than the set of laser criteria and the laser light may be delivered with the laser system.

A system for supporting and aligning a patient during a color alteration procedure includes a laser system that delivers a laser in a first direction. A control computer may be adjacent the laser system for controlling the laser system. The control computer system may include a user interface in a first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The system may include a patient support structure having a patient support surface extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and configured to be adjustable to set a patient position or alignment relative to the laser system. Coarse adjustment hardware may be configured to cause automated and/or manual adjustments to the patient support surface in the first direction. Fine adjustment hardware may be configured to cause automated fine adjustments to the patient support surface in the first direction based on instructions received from the control computer.