METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN EYE SURGICAL LASER WITH A TRANSITION ZONE AT THE VOLUME BODY

Abstract

A method for controlling an eye surgical laser is disclosed for the separation of a volume body. The method includes determining a target position of a pupil relative to a laser beam and determining an optical zone with a treatment center on interfaces relative to an optical axis of the laser beam, determining a transition zone at the volume body as an extension of the interface, capturing a current actual position of the pupil, determining a deviation between the target position and the actual position, and decentering the determined optical zone relative to the optical axis depending on the determined deviation such that the edge of the volume body is generated concentrically to the optical axis and the optical zone is generated concentrically to the determined treatment center and within the transition zone. Further disclosed are a treatment apparatus, a computer program and computer-readable medium capable of performing the method.

Claims

1.-12. (canceled)

13. A method for controlling an eye surgical laser of a treatment apparatus for the separation of a volume body with an anterior interface and with a posterior interface, wherein the anterior interface and the posterior interface contact each other at an edge of the volume body, comprising: determining a target position of a pupil of the eye relative to a laser beam of the laser in a neutral pose of a beam deflection device of the treatment apparatus depending on patient information and determining an optical zone with a treatment center on at least one of the interfaces relative to an optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the patient information; determining a transition zone at the volume body as an extension of the interface with the optical zone; capturing a current actual position of the pupil by means of an optical capturing device of the treatment apparatus; determining a deviation between the target position and the actual position; and decentering the determined optical zone relative to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the determined deviation such that the edge of the volume body is generated concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device and the optical zone is generated concentrically to the determined treatment center and within the transition zone.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the posterior interface.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the anterior interface.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the transition zone of the volume body is generated as a non-centered crescent.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the volume body is generated asymmetrically and concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced by a distance as the deviation between the target position and the actual position of the pupil.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced such that an asymmetric transition zone is generated.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the control of the laser is effected such that topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the cornea is taken into account as patient information.

21. A treatment apparatus with at least one surgical laser for the separation of a volume body with an anterior interface and with a posterior interface of a human or animal eye and with at least one control device for the laser or lasers, which is designed to execute the following method steps: determining a target position of a pupil of the eye relative to a laser beam of the laser in a neutral pose of a beam deflection device of the treatment apparatus depending on patient information and determining an optical zone with a treatment center on at least one of the interfaces relative to an optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the patient information; determining a transition zone at the volume body as an extension of the interface with the optical zone; capturing a current actual position of the pupil by means of an optical capturing device of the treatment apparatus; determining a deviation between the target position and the actual position; and decentering the determined optical zone relative to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the determined deviation such that the edge of the volume body is generated concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device and the optical zone is generated concentrically to the determined treatment center and within the transition zone.

22. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the posterior interface.

23. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the anterior interface.

24. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the transition zone of the volume body is generated as a non-centered crescent.

25. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the volume body is generated asymmetrically and concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device.

26. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced by a distance as the deviation between the target position and the actual position of the pupil.

27. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced such that an asymmetric transition zone is generated.

28. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the control of the laser is effected such that topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the cornea is taken into account as patient information.

29. The treatment apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the control device comprises at least one storage device for at least temporarily storing at least one control dataset, wherein the control dataset or datasets include(s) control data for positioning and/or for focusing individual laser pulses in the cornea; and includes at least one beam deflection device for beam guidance and/or beam shaping and/or beam deflection and/or beam focusing of a laser beam of the laser.

30. A computer program including commands that causes the treatment apparatus according to claim 21 to execute the method steps recited therein.

31. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control an eye surgical laser of a treatment apparatus for the separation of a volume body with an anterior interface and with a posterior interface, wherein the anterior interface and the posterior interface contact each other at an edge of the volume body, the processor: determining a target position of a pupil of the eye relative to a laser beam of the laser in a neutral pose of a beam deflection device of the treatment apparatus depending on patient information and determining an optical zone with a treatment center on at least one of the interfaces relative to an optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the patient information; determining a transition zone at the volume body as an extension of the interface with the optical zone; capturing a current actual position of the pupil by means of an optical capturing device of the treatment apparatus; determining a deviation between the target position and the actual position; and decentering the determined optical zone relative to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device depending on the determined deviation such that the edge of the volume body is generated concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device and the optical zone is generated concentrically to the determined treatment center and within the transition zone.

32. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the posterior interface.

33. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the optical zone and the transition zone are determined on the anterior interface.

34. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the transition zone of the volume body is generated as a non-centered crescent.

35. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the volume body is generated asymmetrically and concentrically to the optical axis of the laser beam in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device.

36. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced by a distance as the deviation between the target position and the actual position of the pupil.

37. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the optical zone is decentered and/or displaced such that an asymmetric transition zone is generated.

38. The computer-readable medium according to claim 31, wherein the control of the laser is effected such that topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the cornea is taken into account as patient information.

Description

[0021] The figures show the following.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a treatment apparatus.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a further schematic side view of an embodiment of the treatment apparatus.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of an eye of a patient.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a further schematic sectional view of an eye of a patient.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a still further schematic sectional view of an eye of a patient.

[0027] In the figures, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference characters.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a treatment apparatus 10 with an eye surgical laser 18 for the separation of a predefined corneal volume or volume body 12 with predefined interfaces 14, 16 of a cornea of a human or animal eye 40 (FIG. 3) by means of photodisruption as presently shown. One recognizes that a control device 20 for the laser 18 is formed besides the laser 18, such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a predefined pattern into the cornea, wherein the interfaces 14, 16 of the volume body 12 to be separated are generated by the predefined pattern by means of photodisruption. In the illustrated embodiment, the interfaces 14, 16 form a lenticular volume body 12, wherein the position of the volume body 12 is selected in this embodiment such that a pathological and/or unnaturally altered area 32 (see FIG. 2) within a stroma 36 of the cornea is enclosed. Furthermore, it is apparent from FIG. 1 that the so-called Bowman's membrane 38 is formed between the stroma 36 and an epithelium 28.

[0029] Furthermore, one recognizes that the laser beam 24 generated by the laser 18 is deflected towards a surface 26 of the cornea by means of a beam deflection device 22 such as for example a scanner. The beam deflection device 22 is also controlled by the control device 20 to generate the mentioned predefined pattern in the cornea. The beam deflection device 22 for example comprises two mirrors. The incident laser beam 24 can be rotated by rotation around a rotational axis. In a neutral pose of the mirrors, a so-called optical axis 30 (FIG. 3) of the laser beam 24 is in particular formed.

[0030] The illustrated laser 18 is a photodisruptive laser, which is formed to emit laser pulses in a wavelength range between 300 nm and 1400 nm, preferably between 700 nm and 1200 nm, at a respective pulse duration between 1 fs and 1 ns, preferably between 10 fs and 10 ps, and a repetition frequency of greater than 10 kHz, preferably between 100 kHz and 100 MHz.

[0031] In addition, the control device 20 comprises a storage device (not illustrated) for at least temporarily storing at least one control dataset, wherein the control dataset or datasets include(s) control data for positioning and/or for focusing individual laser pulses in the cornea. The position data and/or focusing data of the individual laser pulses are generated based on a previously measured topography and/or pachymetry and/or the morphology of the cornea and the pathological and/or unnaturally altered area 32 for example to be removed within the stroma 36 of the eye.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the generation of the volume body 12 to be separated according to an embodiment of the present method. One recognizes that the interfaces 14, 16 are generated by means of the pulsed laser beam 24, which is directed towards the cornea or towards the surface 26 of the cornea via the beam deflection device 22. Therein, the interfaces 14, 16 form a lenticular volume body 12, which for example encloses the pathological and/or unnaturally altered area 32 within the stroma 36. Furthermore, the laser 18 generates a further incision 34 in the illustrated embodiment, which intersects the volume body 12 at a predefined angle and with a predefined geometry and is formed up to the surface 26 of the cornea. The volume body 12 defined by the interfaces 14, 16 can then be removed from the cornea via the incision 34. In the illustrated embodiment, the pathological and/or unnaturally altered area 32 is formed within the stroma 36.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, the interface 14, that is the interface located deeper in the eye or the stroma 36, is first formed by means of the laser beam 24, wherein it then corresponds to the posterior interface 14. This can be effected by at least partially circularly and/or spirally guiding the laser beam 24 according to the predefined pattern. Subsequently, the interface 16 is generated in comparable manner, which then corresponds to the anterior interface 16, such that the interfaces 14, 16 form the lenticular volume body 12 (see also FIG. 1). Subsequently, the incision 34 is also generated by the laser 18. However, the order of the generation of the interfaces 14, 16 and of the incision 34 can also be changed.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows an eye 40 of a patient in a first situation in a schematic sectional view. Presently, it can in particular be seen how a patient interface 42 of the treatment apparatus 10 rests on the eye 40. In particular, the volume body 12 is formed by the anterior interface 16 as well as by the posterior interface 14. In the present embodiment, the posterior interface 14 is to be regarded as an optical zone 44. At an edge 46 of the interfaces 14, 16, a transition zone 48 is in particular formed. In the present embodiment, the transition zone 48 is identically formed on both sides. In other words, the transition zone 48 is centered and symmetric.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows the eye 40 in a further situation in a schematic sectional view. In particular, a non-optimum eye position relative to the patient interface 42 is shown in FIG. 4 in contrast to FIG. 3.

[0036] In particular, it is shown in FIG. 4 that the anterior interface 16 and the posterior interface 14 contact each other at the edge 46 of the volume body 12. Determining a target position of a pupil of the eye 40 to the laser beam 24 in the neutral pose of the beam deflection device 22 depending on patient information and determining the optical zone 44 with a treatment center 52 on at least one of the interfaces 14, 16 relative to the optical axis 30 of the laser beam 24 depending on patient information can be performed. Determining the transition zone 48 at the volume body 12 as an extension of the interfaces 14, 16 with the optical zone 44 is effected. A current actual position of the pupil is captured by means of an optical capturing device 50 (FIG. 1) of the treatment apparatus 10. Further, a deviation between the target position and the actual position is determined and decentration of the determined optical zone 44 relative to the optical axis 30 of the laser 18 is effected depending on the determined deviation such that the edge 46 of the volume body 12 is generated concentrically to the optical axis 30 and the optical zone 44 is generated concentrically to the determined treatment center 52 and within the transition zone 48.

[0037] In particular, FIG. 4 shows that the optical zone 44 and the transition zone 48 can be determined on the posterior interface 14. Alternatively or additionally, the optical zone 44 and the transition zone 48 can also be determined on the anterior interface 16.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows an eye 40 of the patient in a further schematic sectional view. In FIG. 5, the treatment center 52 is in particular displaced such that the transition zone 48 is only formed on the left side shown in FIG. 5.

[0039] In particular, the transition zone 48 of the volume body 12 can be generated as a non-centered crescent. Furthermore, it can in particular be provided that the volume body 12 is generated asymmetrically and concentrically to the optical axis 30. In particular, it can be provided that the optical zone 44 is decentered and/or displaced by a distance as the deviation between the target position and the actual position of the pupil. In particular, the optical zone 44 can be decentered and/or displaced such that an asymmetric transition zone 48 is generated.