Generation of treatment recommendations for topographic-based excimer laser surgical procedures is described that includes generating accurate cylinder compensation and spherical compensation values that are adjusted to compensate for unique characteristics of topographic-based excimer laser surgical systems. Generating treatment recommendations generally includes determining a topographic vector, a posterior astigmatism vector and an anterior astigmatism vector, and generating an internal astigmatism vector using the topographic vector, the posterior astigmatism vector, the anterior astigmatism vector, and a manifest astigmatism vector. In embodiments, the cylinder compensation is generated using multiple vectors while subtracting the internal astigmatism vector and the posterior astigmatism vector which remain in the eye after treatment, and the spherical compensation is generated using an initial spherical compensation modified by addback modifiers and a regression analysis nomogram. In procedures where the corneal epithelium is removed, an epithelial refractive vector is determined from an epithelial thickness/topography map and added to the other vectors.

A liquid-patient interface for fixing the relative geometric position and orientation of a patient's eye with respect to a laser applicator of an ophthalmological laser therapy system. The liquid-patient interface includes a lens element and a cone element, wherein the lens element is inserted into the cone element and permanently connected to the cone element such that the liquid-patient interface has an integral configuration. The invention furthermore relates to a corresponding production method for such a liquid-patient interface. The liquid-patient interface, the lens element of which is embodied in one piece and contains an optical zone, which has a lens function, and an envelope region, adjoining the optical zone, having a defined height not equal to zero and having an upper edge, wherein the upper edge of the lens element facilitates a direct connection to the laser applicator.

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.

Techniques are described for generating and using an illumination pattern for corneal topography. The illumination pattern is projected onto an eye of a user wearing a head-mounted assembly. The illumination pattern is based on a reference pattern and corresponds to selective illumination of dots arranged along a two-dimensional grid. An image sensor captures a reflected image produced by reflection of the illumination pattern off the eye. A reflected pattern is identified based on glints in the reflected image and mapped to the reference pattern to generate an aligned reflected pattern. An eye model including a topography of a cornea is calculated by comparing the aligned reflected pattern to the reference pattern to determine a deviation in a shape of the cornea based on a difference between the aligned reflected pattern and the reference pattern. The eye model can be applied in various ways, including for eye tracking or biometric authentication.

A method of blink detection in a laser eye surgical system includes providing a topography measurement structure having a geometric marker. The method includes bringing the topography measurement structure into a position proximal to an eye such that light traveling from the geometric marker is capable of reflecting off a refractive structure of the eye of the patient, and also detecting the light reflected from the structure of the eye for a predetermined time period while the topography measurement structure is at the proximal position. The method further includes converting the light reflected from the surface of the eye into image data and analyzing the image data to determine whether light reflected from the geometric marker is present is in the reflected light, wherein if the geometric marker is determined not to be present, the patient is identified as having blinked during the predetermined time.

An optical measurement system: passes a probe light beam through a variable focal length lens to the retina of an eye, and returns light from the retina through the variable focal length lens to a wavefront sensor; adjusts the focal length of the variable focal length lens to provide a desired characteristic to at least one of: the probe light beam, and the light returned by the retina to the wavefront sensor; passes a calibration light through the variable focal length lens to the wavefront sensor while the variable focal length lens is at the adjusted focal length to ascertain the adjusted focal length; and makes a wavefront measurement of the eye from the light returned from the retina of the eye through the variable focal length lens to the wavefront sensor, and from the adjusted focal length ascertained from the calibration light received by the wavefront sensor.

Generation of treatment recommendations for topographic-based excimer laser surgical procedures is described that includes generating accurate cylinder compensation and spherical compensation values that are adjusted to compensate for unique characteristics of advanced topographic-based excimer laser surgical systems. Generating treatment recommendations generally includes determining a topographic vector from a topographic corneal map of the eye, determining a posterior astigmatism vector and an anterior astigmatism vector for the eye, and generating an interior astigmatism vector using the topographic vector, the posterior astigmatism vector, the anterior astigmatism vector, and a manifest astigmatism vector. In various embodiments, the cylinder compensation is generated using the interior astigmatism vector and the posterior astigmatism vector, and the spherical compensation is generated using an initial spherical compensation modified by a topographic addback modifier and a cylinder addback modifier.

Methods and apparatus are configures to measure an eye without contacting the eye with a patient interface, and these measurements are used to determine alignment and placement of the incisions when the patient interface contacts the eye. The pre-contact locations of one or more structures of the eye can be used to determine corresponding post-contact locations of the one or more optical structures of the eye when the patient interface has contacted the eye, such that the laser incisions are placed at locations that promote normal vision of the eye. The incisions are positioned in relation to the pre-contact optical structures of the eye, such as an astigmatic treatment axis, nodal points of the eye, and visual axis of the eye.

A laser eye surgery system focuses light along a beam path to a focal point having a location within a lens of the eye. The refractive index of the lens is determined in response to the location. The lens comprises a surface adjacent a second material having a second refractive index. The beam path extends a distance from the surface to the focal point. The index is determined in response to the distances from the surface to the targeted focal point and from the surface to the actual focal point, which corresponds to a location of a peak intensity of an optical interference signal of the focused light within the lens. The determined refractive index is mapped to a region in the lens, and may be used to generate a gradient index profile of the lens to more accurately place laser beam pulses for incisions.

A method for to calculation of actual astigmatism correction and nomographs for corneal laser treatment includes performing a post-operative measurement of the cornea of a patient to determine actual astigmatism coefficients. The actual astigmatism coefficients are compared against the expected astigmatism coefficients to generate a nomograph value or a nomograph curve over a sample population. The nomograph is used to calibrate subsequent laser treatments for improved accuracy of clinical results.