Methods and systems for large spot retinal laser treatment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12329683-B2
Application number	US-202217712633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2022
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

In some embodiments, a system for providing a therapeutic treatment to a patient's eye includes a treatment beam source configured to transmit a treatment beam along a treatment beam path. The system further includes a processor coupled to the treatment beam source, the processor being configured to direct the treatment beam onto retinal tissue of the patient's eye and deliver a series of short duration pulses from the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue at a first treatment spot to treat the retinal tissue. In some embodiments, a pre-treatment evaluation method using electroretinography (ERG) data may be used to predict effects of treatment beams at different power values and to determine optimal power values.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing a therapeutic treatment to a patient's eye, the system comprising:
an aiming beam source configured to transmit an aiming beam along an aiming beam path;
a treatment beam source configured to transmit a treatment beam along a treatment beam path extending non-coaxially relative to the aiming beam path;
a convex lens disposed between the patient and the treatment beam source;
a concave lens disposed between the treatment beam source and the aiming beam source; and
a processor coupled to the aiming beam source and the treatment beam source, the processor being configured to:
direct the aiming beam through the concave lens configured to diverge the aiming beam around the treatment beam source such that only a portion of the aiming beam is blocked by the treatment beam source prior to directing the aiming beam through the convex lens configured to focus the aiming beam onto retinal tissue of the patient's eye to define a visible treatment boundary on the retinal tissue; and
direct the treatment beam onto retinal tissue of the patient's eye at a first treatment spot disposed within the treatment boundary formed by the aiming beam.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first treatment spot is between 1 mm to 6 mm in diameter and a series of short duration pulses from the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue are delivered at the first treatment spot, wherein the duration of each pulse is sufficiently short so as to avoid inducing photocoagulation of the retinal tissue that results in visible tissue damage.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the series of pulses directed to the first treatment spot induces therapeutic healing at the first treatment spot, wherein the duration of each pulse is sufficiently short to allow tissue cooling between pulses which limits a temperature increase at the tissue and avoids inducing photocoagulation of the retinal tissue that results in visible tissue damage by at least one of ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography or autofluorescence imaging, and wherein the series of pulses directed to the first treatment spot induces intracellular, sub-lethal damage of retinal pigment epithelial cells which in turn improves retinal function.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the series of pulses are delivered at an intensity below that which effects intracellular, sub-lethal damage so as to minimize damage to the retinal tissue.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the treatment beam source comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the treatment boundary comprises at least one of a ring or circular cross-section.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the treatment beam comprises an infrared wavelength and a power from 1 W to 100 W.

8. A method for providing a therapeutic treatment to a patient's eye, the method comprising:
delivering an aiming beam from an aiming beam source along an aiming beam path, the aiming beam passing through a concave lens disposed between the patient and the aiming beam and configured to diverge the aiming beam around a treatment beam source such that only a portion of the aiming beam is blocked by the treatment beam source prior to passing through a convex lens disposed between the patient and the treatment beam source;
defining, via the aiming beam, a visible treatment boundary on retinal tissue of the patient, the aiming beam passing through the convex lens to be focused onto the retinal tissue to define the treatment boundary; and
delivering, via a treatment beam from the treatment beam source, a therapeutic treatment to retinal tissue of the patient's eye at a treatment spot on the retinal tissue disposed within the treatment boundary, the treatment beam being delivered along a treatment beam path extending non-coaxial relative to the aiming beam path.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aiming beam source comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aiming beam has a power under 1 mW.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the treatment boundary comprises at least one of a ring or circular cross-section.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising heating the retinal tissue at the treatment spot in a range from 50 to 55 degrees C.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the treatment spot is between 1 mm to 6 mm in diameter.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the treatment beam source comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the treatment beam comprises an infrared wavelength and a power from 1 W to 100 W.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the treatment spot comprises a macular region of the retinal tissue.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the treatment beam is configured to be directed onto 80% to 100% of the macular region.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aiming beam is directed onto a retinal pigment epithelium of the patient's eye.

19. The method of claim 8 , wherein the therapeutic treatment is delivered only to a single treatment spot on the retinal tissue.

20. The method of claim 8 , further comprising heating the tissue at the treatment spot in a substantially uniform manner without scanning the treatment beam.

Assignees

• Iridex Corp

Inventors

• Chen Howard
• Marcellino George

Classifications

• A61B5/398

  Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG] · CPC title

• A61F2009/00863

  Retina · CPC title

• A61F2009/00891

  Glaucoma · CPC title

• A61F2009/00851

  Optical coherence topography [OCT] · CPC title

• A61F2009/00844

  Feedback systems · CPC title