METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN EYE SURGICAL LASER AND TREATMENT DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an eye surgical laser for the separation of a volume body with predefined interfaces from a human or animal cornea, comprising controlling the laser by means of a control device such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a predefined pattern into the cornea, wherein the interfaces of the volume body to be separated are defined by the predefined pattern and the interfaces are generated by means of photodisruption, wherein the interfaces of the volume body are determined such that a pathological and/or unnaturally altered area within the stroma of the cornea is enclosed. Furthermore, the invention relates to a treatment device with at least one eye surgical laser for the separation of a predefined corneal volume with predefined interfaces of a human or animal eye by means of photodisruption and at least one control device for the laser or lasers, which is formed to execute the steps of the method according to the invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an eye surgical laser for the separation of a volume body with predefined interfaces from a human or animal cornea, comprising: controlling the laser by means of a control device such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a predefined pattern into the cornea, wherein the interfaces of the volume body to be separated are defined by the predefined pattern wherein the interfaces are generated by means of photodisruption, and wherein the interfaces of the volume body are determined such that a pathological and/or unnaturally altered area within the stroma of the cornea is enclosed, wherein said laser is controlled such that at least one incision or at least one aperture is generated in the cornea at a predefined angle and with a predefined geometry, wherein said incision or said aperture intersects an interface of the volume body and is formed up to a surface of the cornea, such that the volume body is removable from the cornea via said incision or said aperture, and wherein the surface of the cornea is a surface of the eye artificially generated by means of ablation or displacement of an uppermost corneal layer and/or by means of production of a corneal flap.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein characterized in that the volume body is lenticularly formed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said laser is controlled such that the predefined pattern is at least partially circularly and/or spirally ablated.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined pattern is defined based on one or more control datasets, wherein the control dataset or datasets include control data for positioning and/or for focusing individual laser pulses in the cornea.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the control datasets are generated at least by providing topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the untreated cornea and providing topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the pathologically altered area to be removed within the cornea.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said volume body to be separated is furthermore formed such that a correction of a visual disorder of the eye is additionally effected by the removal of the volume body.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said pathologically altered area within the cornea is an opacity and/or a scar.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said control device is formed such that the laser emits laser pulses in a wavelength range between 300 nm and 1400 nm, preferably between 900 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.

9. A treatment device with at least one eye surgical laser for the separation of a corneal volume with predefined interfaces from a human or animal eye by means of photodisruption and at least one control device for the laser or lasers, which is formed to execute the steps of the method according to claim 1.

10. The treatment device according to claim 9, wherein said laser is suitable to emit laser pulses in a wavelength range between 300 nm and 1400 nm, preferably between 900 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.

11. The treatment device according to claim 9, wherein said control device comprises at least one storage device for at least temporary storage of at least one control dataset, wherein the control dataset or datasets include control data for positioning and/or for focusing individual laser pulses in the cornea; and comprises at least one beam device for beam guidance and/or beam shaping and/or beam deflection and/or beam focusing of a laser beam of the laser.

12. A computer program including commands, which cause a treatment device with at least one eye surgical laser for the separation of a corneal volume with predefined interfaces from a human or animal eye by means of photodisruption and at least one control device for the laser or lasers to execute the method steps according to claim 1.

13. A computer-readable medium, on which the computer program according to claim 12 is stored.

14. A method for separating a volume body with predefined interfaces from a human or animal cornea, comprising: controlling a laser by means of a control device such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a predefined pattern into the cornea, wherein the interfaces of the volume body to be separated are defined by the predefined pattern and the interfaces are generated by means of photodisruption, wherein the interfaces of the volume body are determined such that a pathological and/or unnaturally altered area within the stroma of the cornea is enclosed, wherein the laser is controlled such that at least one incision or at least one aperture is generated in the cornea at a predefined angle and with a predefined geometry, wherein the incision or the aperture intersects an interface of the volume body and is formed up to a surface of the cornea, such that the volume body is removable from the cornea via the incision or the aperture, and wherein the surface of the cornea is a surface of the eye artificially generated by means of ablation or displacement of an uppermost corneal layer and/or by means of production of a corneal flap.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said volume body is lenticularly formed.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said laser is controlled such that the predefined pattern is at least partially circularly and/or spirally ablated.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said predefined pattern is defined based on one or more control datasets, wherein the control dataset or datasets include control data for positioning and/or for focusing individual laser pulses in the cornea.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said control datasets are generated at least by providing topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the untreated cornea and providing topographic and/or pachymetric and/or morphologic data of the pathologically altered area to be removed within the cornea.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein said volume body to be separated is furthermore formed such that a correction of a visual disorder of the eye is additionally effected by the removal of the volume body.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein said pathologically altered area within the cornea is an opacity and/or a scar.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein said control device is formed such that the laser emits laser pulses in a wavelength range between 300 nm and 1400 nm, preferably between 900 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.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a treatment device according to the invention.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the generation of a volume body to be separated according to the first embodiment of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a treatment device 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 by means of photodisruption. 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 means of photodisruption by the predefined pattern. In the illustrated embodiment, the interfaces 14, 16 form a lenticular volume body 12, wherein the position of the volume body 12 is selected such that a pathological and/or unnaturally altered area 32 (see FIG. 2) within the stroma 36 of the cornea is enclosed. Furthermore, it is recognizable from FIG. 1, that the so-called Bowman's membrane 38 is formed between the stroma 36 and the epithelium 28.

[0028] Furthermore, one recognizes that the laser beam 24 generated by the laser 18 is deflected in the direction of a surface 26 of the cornea by means of a beam device 22, namely a beam deflection device, 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.

[0029] 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 900 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.

[0030] In addition, the control device 20 comprises a storage device (not illustrated) for at least temporary storage of at least one control dataset, wherein the control dataset or datasets include 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 to be removed within the stroma 36 of the eye.

[0031] 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 in the direction of the cornea or in the direction of the surface 26 of the cornea via the beam deflection device 22. Therein, the interfaces 14, 16 form a lenticular volume body, which 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 at a predefined angle and with a predefined geometry and is formed up to the surface 26 of the cornea. The volume body 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 and outside of an optical axis 30 of the eye.

[0032] 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. 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 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 the incision 34 can also be changed.