Ophthalmological laser treatment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10695220-B2
Application number	US-201514835067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 25, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

An ophthalmological laser treatment system comprising a laser source (2) for producing laser radiation, a light projector (3) for focusing the laser radiation onto a focus (F) and a scanner system (5) for moving the focus (F) along a work line (p) comprises a monitoring system (6), which comprises a light detector (60) and is configured to monitor, by way of a light path (r), a monitored region (m) moving together with the focus (F). The monitoring system (6) is configured to monitor a monitored region (m), which moves together with the focus (F) with a fixed geometric assignment to the focus (F) and is for example disposed upstream of the focus (F) in the work direction and not yet worked on by laser radiation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser treatment system comprising:
a laser source configured to produce laser radiation;
a light projector configured to focus the laser radiation onto a focus;
a scanner system comprising a mirror disposed upstream of the light projector in a laser beam path from the laser source to the light projector, the mirror being configured to perform scanning movements to scan eye tissue with focused laser radiation by movement of the focus along a work line in a movement direction normal to an optical axis of the light projector; and
a monitoring system comprising a light detector disposed downstream of the laser source and upstream of the scanner system, the light detector being coupled by an optical element onto a light path which is guided over the mirror of the scanner system and lead through the light projector to receive, via the light path, light reflected in a monitored region of an eye, which the monitored region is moved along the work line by the scanning movements of the mirror of the scanner system synchronously with the movement of the focus, wherein the light detector has a detection axis set with a non-zero alignment angle in relation to the laser beam path to determine with a fixed geometric assignment a relative position of the monitored region in relation to the focus, such that the monitored region is disposed in the movement direction of the focus, ahead of the focus, and not yet worked on by the laser radiation.

2. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system comprises a processing unit configured to perform depth monitoring in the monitored region extending in the direction of the light path, wherein the depth monitoring is performed based on one or more of interferometric detection, chromatic aberration, confocal detection, or triangulation detection.

3. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system comprises at least one of: an interferometric detection system, a detection system based on axial chromatic aberration with spectral evaluation, a confocal detection system, and a triangulating detection system.

4. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the light detector comprises light-sensitive elements configured to detect at least one of brightness values and spectral regions.

5. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system comprises a light source for illumination of the monitored region.

6. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the laser treatment system comprises a data storage medium with geometry data of eye structures registered prior to treatment, and, the monitoring system comprises a processing unit coupled to the light detector, the processing unit configured to detect local deviations of the eye structures defined by the geometry data in the monitored region as a function of the geometry data and the detection signals of the light detector.

7. The laser treatment system of claim 6 , wherein the processing unit is configured to produce control signals for the laser treatment system when deviations are detected, the control signals comprising at least one command from the following: deactivating the laser source and interrupting projection of the laser radiation.

8. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system comprises a focusing system which is coupled into the light path and disposed upstream of the light detector.

9. The laser treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system comprises a processing unit configured to determine a safety distance using a current value of power of the laser radiation, to detect objects in the monitored region, and to interrupt treatment, if a distance between the focus and a detected object is smaller than the safety distance.

Assignees

• Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems Ag

Inventors

• Hertzberg Joachim
• Rathjen Christian

Classifications

• A61F9/00825 Primary

  for photodisruption · CPC title

• A61F2009/00897

  Scanning mechanisms or algorithms · CPC title

• A61F9/00804

  Refractive treatments · CPC title

• A61F2009/00846

  Eyetracking · CPC title

• A61F9/008 Primary

  using laser · CPC title