Ophthalmological treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12485042-B2
Application number	US-202217869222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2022
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is an ophthalmological treatment apparatus for modifying a shape of a corneal surface of a human eye. The apparatus includes a surgical laser device for implementing tissue cuts. The apparatus further includes a computerized control device in operative coupling with the surgical laser device, the control device being designed to control the laser device to implement tissue cuts according to a cut geometry with a primary tissue cut and a secondary tissue cut, wherein the primary tissue cut is a relief cut and extends into the depth of the conical eye tissue, and wherein the secondary tissue cut lies within the conical eye tissue, such that the secondary tissue cut adds to the relieving effect of the primary tissue cut.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ophthalmological treatment apparatus for modifying a shape of a corneal surface of a human eye of a patient, comprising:
a surgical laser device for implementing tissue cuts; and
a computerized control device in operative coupling with the surgical laser device, the control device being designed to control the surgical laser device to implement tissue cuts according to a patient-specific cut geometry with a primary tissue cut and a secondary tissue cut,
wherein the primary tissue cut is an arcuate relief cut and extends into a depth of a tissue and includes an arc length and a radius from a symmetry axis of the eye, the primary tissue cut being perpendicular to a direction pointing radially from a center of the cornea and covering a circumferential angle with respect to the center of the cornea,
wherein the secondary tissue cut lies within the tissue and has an arcuate inner edge, facing the center of the cornea, an arcuate outer edge, facing away from the center of the cornea, and a width between the arcuate inner edge and the arcuate outer edge, such that the secondary tissue cut adds to the relieving effect of the primary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut and the primary tissue cut meet or intersect along an arcuate joint line within the circumferential angle, covered by the primary tissue cut, and the width of the secondary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut is arranged such that it extends in the tissue an area of increased mechanical stress resulting from the primary tissue cut, thereby increasing a corneal tissue deformation resulting from the primary tissue cut, and
wherein a patient-specific cut geometry parameter of the patient-specific cut geometry is at least one of:
the arc length,
the radius of the primary tissue cut,
a depth of the primary tissue cut,
the width of the secondary tissue cut, or
the symmetry axis with respect to which the primary and secondary tissue cuts are centered.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising memory for storing a plurality of predefined cut geometry templates.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the patient-specific cut geometry is computed by applying the patient-specific cut geometry parameter to one of the plurality of predefined cut geometry templates.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a user interface for receiving a selection of the patient-specific cut geometry parameter by an operator of the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surgical laser device includes a femtosecond laser source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primary tissue cut extends to an outer tissue surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primary tissue cut and the secondary tissue cut are spatially curved.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primary tissue cut and the secondary tissue cut are perpendicular with respect to each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the secondary tissue cut extends in a constant distance from a posterior corneal surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device is designed to control the surgical laser device to implement the secondary tissue cut prior to implementing the primary tissue cut.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device is designed to control the surgical laser device to start implementing the primary tissue cut at a starting position within the tissue and advance towards the outer tissue surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a tissue bridge remains between the primary tissue cut and the secondary tissue cut, wherein the patient-specific cut geometry parameter of the patient-specific cut geometry includes a width of the tissue bridge.

13. A method comprising:
implementing, by a surgical laser device, tissue cuts;
controlling, by a computerized control device in operative coupling with the surgical laser device, the surgical laser device to implement the tissue cuts according to a patient-specific cut geometry with a primary tissue cut and a secondary tissue cut,
wherein the primary tissue cut is an arcuate relief cut and extends into a depth of a tissue and includes an arc length and a radius from a symmetry axis of the eye, the primary tissue cut being perpendicular to a direction pointing radially from a center of the cornea and covering a circumferential angle with respect to the center of the cornea,
wherein the secondary tissue cut lies within the tissue and has an arcuate inner edge, facing the center of the cornea, an arcuate outer edge, facing away from the center of the cornea, and a width between the arcuate inner edge and the arcuate outer edge, such that the secondary tissue cut adds to the relieving effect of the primary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut and the primary tissue cut meet or intersect along an arcuate joint line within the circumferential angle, covered by the primary tissue cut, and the width of the secondary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut is arranged such that it extends in the tissue an area of increased mechanical stress resulting from the primary tissue cut, thereby increasing a corneal tissue deformation resulting from the primary tissue cut, and
wherein a patient-specific cut geometry parameter of the patient-specific cut geometry is at least one of:
the arc length,
the radius of the primary tissue cut,
a depth of the primary tissue cut,
the width of the secondary tissue cut, or
the symmetry axis with respect to which the primary and secondary tissue cuts are centered.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising storing, in memory, a plurality of predefined cut geometry templates.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising applying the patient-specific cut geometry parameter to one of the plurality of predefined cut geometry templates.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising computing the patient-specific cut geometry based upon the applied patient-specific cut geometry parameter.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving, by a user interface, a user selection of the patient-specific cut geometry parameter.

18. An apparatus comprising:
a surgical laser device configured to implement tissue cuts; and
a computerized control device configured to control the surgical laser device to implement tissue cuts according to a patient-specific cut geometry with a primary tissue cut and a secondary tissue cut,
wherein the primary tissue cut is an arcuate relief cut and extends into a depth of a tissue and includes an arc length and a radius from a symmetry axis of the eye, the primary tissue cut being perpendicular to a direction pointing radially from a center of the cornea and covering a circumferential angle with respect to the center of the cornea,
wherein the secondary tissue cut lies within the tissue and has an arcuate inner edge, facing the center of the cornea, an arcuate outer edge, facing away from the center of the cornea, and a width between the arcuate inner edge and the arcuate outer edge, such that the secondary tissue cut adds to the relieving effect of the primary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut and the primary tissue cut meet or intersect along an arcuate joint line within the circumferential angle, covered by the primary tissue cut, and the width of the secondary tissue cut,
wherein the secondary tissue cut is arranged such that it extends in the tissue an area of increased mechanical stress resulting from the primary tissue cut, thereby increasing a corneal tissue deformation resulting from

Assignees

• Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems Ag

Inventors

• Rathjen Christian

Classifications

• A61F2009/00897

  Scanning mechanisms or algorithms · CPC title

• A61F2009/00878

  Planning · CPC title

• A61F2009/00872

  Cornea · CPC title

• A61F2009/00853

  Laser thermal keratoplasty or radial keratotomy · CPC title

• G16H20/40

  relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture · CPC title