DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FIXING A RELATIVE GEOMETRIC POSITION OF AN EYE

Abstract

A device and a method for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye with respect to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system. A device having a container with upper edge designed to produce a mechanically fixed connection between the container and the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, and a lower edge which can be placed with a form fit onto the eye, and a clamping mechanism for producing a force-fit connection of the container to the eye, wherein the clamping mechanism has a movable connection to the container is a fixed rotation point or a fixed rotation axis in a jacket area of the container, and by a corresponding method.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A device for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye with relation to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, the device comprising: a container having an upper edge that is structured to produce a mechanical fixed connection between the container and the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, and a lower edge, which can be placed with a form fit on the eye, a clamping mechanism that establishes a frictionally engaged coupling of the container to the eye. wherein the clamping mechanism includes a movable connection to the container via a fixed rotation point or a fixed rotation axis arranged in jacket area of the container.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the, movable connection of the clamping mechanism to the container is detachable.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism further comprises two mutually tensible straps.

18. The device according to claim 3, further comprising a spring coupling the two straps.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism further comprises structure for blocking the lids of the eye from closing.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein a lower edge of the container further comprises an eye contact surface that is structured to produce an adhesion effect that minimizes a relative movement between the eye and the container when the frictionally engaged coupling of the container to the eye is produced by the clamping mechanism.

21. The device according to claim 6, wherein the eye contact surface comprises nubs that can be indented into a conjunctiva of the eye.

22. The device according to claim 6, further comprising an adhesion-active surface coating of the eye contact surface or a surface treatment of the eye contact surface to increase surface roughness of the eye contact surface.

23. The device according to claim 7, further comprising an adhesion-active surface coating of the eye contact surface or a surface treatment of the eye contact surface to increase surface roughness of the eye contact surface.

24. The device according to claim 1, wherein the container is structured to accommodate a refractive acting material in at least a part of a volume range between a cornea, of the eye and the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system.

25. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is further structured to accommodate a contact glass.

26. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is structured for filling with a refractive acting fluid or a refractive acting gel.

10. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device is structured for filling with a refractive acting fluid or a refractive acting gel.

28. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing ring that extends along the lower edge of the container.

29. An ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, comprising a device for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye to the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, the device comprising: a container having an upper edge that is structured to produce a mechanical fixed connection between the container and the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, and a lower edge, which can be placed with a form fit on the eye, a clamping mechanism that establishes a frictionally engaged coupling of the container to the eye, wherein the damping mechanism includes a movable connection to the container via a fixed rotation point or a fixed rotation axis arranged in a jacket area of the container.

30. A method for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, the method comprising: placing a device comprising a container with an upper edge that is structured to produce a mechanical fixed connection between the container and the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system on the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system; placing a lower edge of the container with a form fit on the eye; applying a clamping mechanism to establish a frictionally engaged coupling of the container to the eye by operating a movable connection of the clamping mechanism to the container via a fixed rotation point or a fixed rotation axis arranged in a jacket area of the container; the applying including moving the clamping mechanism to a first position of the clamping mechanism on the eye; manually or automatically aligning the device to an optical axis of the eye; moving the clamping mechanism of the device to a second position, in which parts of the clamping mechanism are arranged between an eyeball of the eye and a lid of the eye as a result of which the frictionally engaged coupling of the container to the eye is established.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising utilizing structure of the clan ping mechanism to block the eyelids from closing.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising utilizing structure on the lower edge of the container which has an adhesion effect that minimizes relative movement between the eye and the container.

33. The method according to claim 30, further comprising indenting knobs on an eye contact surface of the container into a conjunctiva of the eye thus minimizing relative movement between the eye in the container.

34. The method according to claim 30, further comprising inserting a contact glass into the container or between the container and the eye or tilling the container with a refractive acting fluid or a refractive acting gel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The present device will now be described with the assistance of exemplary embodiments. The figures show the following:

[0048] FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a first embodiment of the inventive device for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system;

[0049] FIG. 2A depicts a lateral view of a first embodiment and FIG. 2b shows an enlarged section of an eye contact surface of the lower edge of the container of the device;

[0050] FIG. 3A depicts a second embodiment of the inventive device in a lateral view and FIG. 3B depicts an enlarged section of a contact surface of the lower edge of the container of the device;

[0051] FIG. 4 depicts a schematized comprehensive view of an embodiment of the inventive ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] FIG. 1 depicts the top view of a first embodiment of the inventive device for fixing a relative geometric position of an eye to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system 1, while FIG. 2A, on the other hand, shows a lateral view of this first embodiment. FIG. 2B shows an enlarged section of an eye contact surface 9 of the lower edge 8 of the container 2 of the device 1.

[0053] In this first example embodiment of the inventive device for fixing a relative geometric position 1 of an eye A1 to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system a container 2, which can be filled with a fluid and thus can also be referred to as a fluid patient interface, is combined with a clamping mechanism 3, which has the function of an eye speculum.

[0054] The container 2 is configured in the shape of a funnel for accommodation of a refractive acting fluid and also contains an opening on its side to the eye A1, as a result of which a lower edge 8 is formed, as well as an opening on the side opposing the diagnosis and/or therapy system, as a result of which an upper edge 10 is formed.

[0055] The lower edge 8 is formed and designed such that it can be placed with a form fit on the eye A1. In order to prevent a mechanical shifting of the container 2 on the eye A1 in the pressed state, but simultaneously keep the contact pressure of the container 2 on the eye A1 as low as possible, the lower edge of the container 2 pointing at the eye A1 has an eye contact surface 9, which has nub structures in the form of a plurality of truncated cones and whose surface is roughened.

[0056] By pressing the container 2 on the eye A1, the nub structures of the eye contact surface 9 are pressed into the soft conjunctival tissue above the sclera of the eye A1. The friction of the rough surface on the eye surface additionally prevents the entire container 2 from being able to be moved laterally in the eye A1 or prevents the eye A1 of a patient to be treated from being able to be moved consciously or unconsciously.

[0057] As a rule, pressing the container 2 on the eye A1 already establishes a sealed, that is, liquid impermeable connection of the container 2 to the eye A1. On the lower edge of the container 2 containing a refractive acting fluid, that is, towards the eye A1, there is, in addition a sealing ring 7. It extends along the entire lower edge 8 of the container 2 and reliably prevents the discharge of the refractive acting fluid: Due to the natural variations of the size of the eye A1 from patient to patient, there could be a corresponding leak in the case of an unfavorable size of the eye A1 that deviates greatly from the norm when, due to the deviating sizes the form fit of the lower edge 8 of the container 2 to the eye A1 does not result in a liquid impermeable connection of the container 2 to the eye A1 by itself.

[0058] The upper edge 10 of the container 2 is, in turn designed such that it can be fixed on a diagnosis and/or therapy system by suctioning of this upper edge region. The container 2 is formed of a polymer or another solid material. The jacket region 11 is thus sealed from the refractive acting fluid.

[0059] The clamping mechanism 3 is moveably connected to the container 2 via two opposing fixed rotation axes 6 in the jacket region 11 of the container 2. This connection is realized via two pins located on the outside of this funnel-shaped container 2. Two straps 4 of the clamping mechanism 3 acting as an eye speculum are fastened to these pins. The two straps 4 are mechanically connected to one another via a spring coupling 5 by use of a spring exerting compression stress.

[0060] In the “docking”, that is, the placement of the container 2, which corresponds to a fluid patient interface, on an eye A1 the straps 4 are pressed together. In the process, the container 2 is aligned with respect to structures of the eye A1, such as, for example the corneal limbus and blood vessels. With this, the container 2 is simultaneously also aligned to the optical axis A4 of the eye. An image detection method can be used for this purpose. When the desired position of the container 2 has been found, the straps 4 are released. In principle, the desired position can also occur subsequently through manual shifting in the clamping state. However, this requires overcoming the retaining force. In the process, the spring presses the straps 4 apart such that their eye-side ends are brought between eyelid A2 and the conjunctiva of the eye A1, as can be seen in the lateral view of FIG. 2a. As a result, the eyelids A2 are opened and held in the opened position. In addition, the pressing apart of the straps 4 also causes the container to be pressed onto the eye A1.

[0061] If, after the corresponding treatment steps of the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system, in which the relative geometric position of an eye A1 to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system must be fixed, additional steps follow, in which case the eye A1 must be held open, but a fixing of the eye movement is no longer necessary, the container 2 is pressed together by application of an outer pressure on the jacket area 11 of the container 2, which is configured weakly elastic to this end, such that the pins serving as a rotation axis 6 on the jacket area 11 of the container 2 leave the corresponding counterpart on the clamping mechanism 3 and the container 2 can be pulled upward, i.e. away from the eye, out of the clamping mechanism 3. The clamping mechanism 3, on the other hand remains in place as an eye speculum, so that the eye A1 continues to be held open.

[0062] Since eye speculums are quite frequently used in addition to patient interfaces, which are pressed on the eye A1 by application of a vacuum, this embodiment of the inventive device 1 offers not only the advantage of a simpler production of the contact pressure and thus a simplification of the device and a simplified handling of such a device, but rather it also makes the use of an additional eye speculum during the entire treatment of the patient superfluous.

[0063] FIG. 3A shows a second embodiment of the inventive device 1 in a lateral view. FIG. 3B, contained within, shows an enlarged section of an eye contact surface 9 of the lower edge 8 of the container 2 of the device 1. In the description of this second embodiment of the inventive device reference is made to the description of the first embodiment and in the following we only go into the differences of the second embodiment to this first one.

[0064] In contrast to the first embodiment, the container 2 in the second embodiment is designed to accommodate a contact glass 12. Thus, the container 2 does not have to be liquid impermeable, nor does it have to lie in a liquid impermeable manner on the eye A1. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention it is designed significantly flatter for accommodation of the contact glass 12 as is the case in the first embodiment for accommodation of the refractive acting fluid. In addition, in the second embodiment an additional sealing ring 7 can be dispensed with, since there is no danger of a leak.

[0065] The eye contact surface 9 in the second embodiment does not contain any nubs or similar structures. In contrast, it is surface coated with a material that produces an additional adhesion effect between the container 2 and the eye A1. One example of this is a coating with a collagen or a hydrophilic material with adhesive effect that can absorb the tear fluids.

[0066] In the process, it is to be noted that the design of the eye contact surface 9 is independent from the refractive active material that is used, so that an inventive device 1 as described in the first embodiment can also contain an adhesion effective surface coating in place of the nub structure and vice versa. Also, a combination of a corresponding nub structure and a surface coating is possible.

[0067] FIG. 4 shows a schematized comprehensive view of an embodiment of the inventive ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system 100. We will not go into the details of such a diagnosis and/or therapy system 100. FIG. 4 only serves the purpose of using the example of a laser therapy system operating according to the LASIK method to show how an eye A1 is fixed on an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system by use of an inventive device 1 and thus the relative geometric position of an eye A1 is fixed to an ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system 100. The laser therapy system contains a laser 101, whose beam is conducted by a beam splitter 102 to a scanning unit 103, which contains two pivoted scanning mirrors perpendicular to one another. As a result the laser beam can be refracted two-dimensionally. The beam is further conducted to the eye A1 via a projection lens system 104 containing two lenses. A part of the beam is backscattered from the cornea of the eye A1, passes through the beam splitter 102 and is detected by the detector 106. A control unit 105 evaluates the data supplied by the detector 106 and controls the laser 102, the scanning unit 103 and the projection lens system 104. Since the position of the eye A1 to the laser therapy system 100 is fixed by the device for fixing a relative geometric position 1 of an eye A1, it is facilitated that, for example, in a laser surgery application laser irradiation which leaves the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system can act on the place provided for it on the eye A1 and, on the other hand, signals which are received by the eye A1 in the ophthalmological diagnosis and therapy system can be unambiguously assigned to a place on the eye A1. This is illustrated by the schematic beam projection 107 within the ophthalmological diagnosis and/or therapy system 100.

[0068] The foregoing mentioned features that have been explained in various example embodiments can be used not only in the combinations cited by way of example, but rather, can also be used in other combinations or alone, without abandoning the scope of the present invention.

[0069] A description related to features of the device applies analogously with respect to these features, while features of the method present corresponding functional features of the described device.