Patent classifications
A61F2009/00885
System and method for treating meibomian gland dysfunction
Systems and methods of treating meibomian and sebaceous gland dysfunction. The methods include reducing oxygen concentration in the environment of one or more dysfunctional meibomian and sebaceous glands, thereby restoring a hypoxic status of one or more dysfunctional meibomian and sebaceous glands. The reducing of the oxygen concentration is accomplished by restricting blood flow to the one or more dysfunctional meibomian and sebaceous glands and the environment of one or more dysfunctional meibomian sebaceous glands. The restricting of the blood flow is accomplished by contracting or closing one or more blood vessels around the one or more dysfunctional meibomian or sebaceous glands. The methods also include giving local or systemic drugs that lead to the generation of hypoxia-inducible factors in one or more dysfunctional meibomian and sebaceous glands.
System for laser photocoagulation of the retina
The invention relates to a system for laser photocoagulation of the retina, comprising: a photocoagulation laser (1); an optical path (5) connecting the upstream photocoagulation laser (1) to a downstream laser outlet opening (6) intended to be positioned in front of the retina; an adaptive optical element (9) positioned in the optical path and configured to modify the wavefront of the laser beam being propagated in the optical path, in order to compensate for aberrations of the eye that occur as far as the retina; a position control loop (10) controlling a first actuator (14) positioned in the optical path downstream of the adaptive optical element in order to control the position of the laser outlet opening relative to the retina to be treated; and at least one imaging device (8) configured to obtain an image of the retina diverted from the optical path.
Methods and apparatus for treating glaucoma
An ocular implant for treating glaucoma is provided, which may include any number of features. More particularly, the present invention relates to implants that facilitate the transfer of fluid from within one area of the eye to another area of the eye. One feature of the implant is that it includes a proximal inlet portion and a distal inlet portion adapted to be inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye, and an intermediate portion adapted to be inserted into Schlemm's canal. Another feature of the implant is that it can be biased to assume a predetermined shape to aid in placement within the eye.
SURGICAL CONTACT LENS SYSTEM WITH A PATIENT CONTACT LENS
In certain embodiments, a surgical contact lens system for ophthalmic treatment with a laser beam includes a patient contact lens and a surgical contact lens. The patient contact lens reduces one or more refractive errors of the eye and has a concave surface and a convex surface. The concave surface is to be disposed outwardly from a cornea of an eye. The surgical contact lens has an eye end to be disposed outwardly from the convex surface of the patient contact lens. The surgical contact lens includes a frame and an optical component coupled to the frame. The patient contact lens reduces pressure from the surgical contact lens to reduce corneal folding of a posterior surface of the cornea. The optical component of the surgical contact lens and the patient contact lens transmit the laser beam to treat the eye.
REDUCING RETINAL RADIATION EXPOSURE DURING LASER SURGERY
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a floater in a vitreous of an eye includes a floater detection system, a laser device, and a computer. The floater detection system determines the location of the floater in the vitreous of the eye. The laser device directs a laser beam along a laser beam path towards the floater. The computer accesses a three-dimensional scan pattern for the laser beam that yields a three-dimensional pulse pattern of laser pulses. The three-dimensional pulse pattern has a bubble shield pulse pattern at the posterior side of the three-dimensional pulse pattern. The bubble shield pulse pattern forms a bubble shield that reduces laser radiation exposure at a retina of the eye. The computer instructs the laser device to direct the laser beam towards the floater according to the three-dimensional scan pattern.
EVALUATING AND TREATING EYE FLOATERS
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a floater in an eye comprises a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) device that: generates an SLO image of a floater shadow cast by the floater onto a retina of the eye, and provides an xy-location of the floater shadow, where the xy-location is related to the xy-scanner. An interferometer device provides a z-location of the floater, where the z-location is relative to the retina. A laser device generates a laser beam and includes a z-focusing component that focuses a focal point of the laser beam onto the z-location of the floater. An xy-scanner directs an SLO beam from the SLO device along an SLO beam path towards the xy-location of the floater shadow, and directs the laser beam from the laser device along the SLO beam path towards the xy-location of the floater shadow.
GENERATING BUBBLE JETS TO FRAGMENT AND REMOVE EYE FLOATERS
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser system for treating a floater in a vitreous of an eye includes a laser device that directs laser pulses towards the floater to yield cavitation bubbles that create a bubble jet to treat the floater. In some examples, the laser device includes a beam multiplexer that splits a laser beam into multiple beams that form the cavitation bubbles that create the bubble jet. In some examples, the laser device directs laser pulses towards the floater according to a pulse pattern that forms the cavitation bubbles that create the bubble jet.
IMAGING A TARGET WITHIN AN EYE AND CALIBRATING IMAGING DEVICES
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for imaging and treating a target in an eye includes an imaging system with an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device that directs an OCT imaging beam along an imaging beam path towards the target in the eye, and generates OCT images from the OCT imaging beam reflected from the eye. The beam combining and alignment device aligns the OCT imaging beam and the laser beam. The laser-OCT xy-scanner: receives the OCT imaging beam from the imaging system, directs the OCT imaging beam along the imaging beam path towards the eye, and scans the OCT imaging beam in an xy-plane in the eye; and receives the laser beam from the laser device, directs the laser beam along the laser beam path aligned with the imaging beam path towards the eye, and scans the laser beam in the xy-plane in the eye.
SCANNING LASER OPHTHALMOSCOPE LASER GUIDANCE FOR LASER VITREOLYSIS
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a floater in an eye includes a scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) device, a treatment laser device, and an xy-scanner. The SLO device directs an SLO beam towards the retina of the eye, generates an image that includes the floater shadow from the SLO beam reflected from the eye, determines the xy-location of the floater shadow, and determines the z-location of the floater relative to the retina using the confocal filter. The treatment laser device receives the z-location of the floater from the SLO device, and directs a laser beam towards the z-location. The xy-scanner receives the SLO beam from the SLO device and directs the SLO beam towards the xy-location of the floater shadow. The xy-scanner also receives the laser beam from the treatment laser device and directs the laser beam towards the xy-location of the floater shadow.
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING GLAUCOMA
An ocular implant for treating glaucoma is provided, which may include any number of features. More particularly, the present invention relates to implants that facilitate the transfer of fluid from within one area of the eye to another area of the eye. One feature of the implant is that it includes a proximal inlet portion and a distal inlet portion adapted to be inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye, and an intermediate portion adapted to be inserted into Schlemm's canal. Another feature of the implant is that it can be biased to assume a predetermined shape to aid in placement within the eye.