EP0151869A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for ophthalmological surgery
Assignee: AMO Manufacturing USA LLC
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Filing: 1984-11-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2004-11-16
Abstract
Abstract The invention contemplates use of a scanning laser characterized by ultraviolet radiation to achieve controlled ablative photodecompos i tion of one or more selected regions of a cornea. Irradiated flux density and exposure time are so controlled as to achieve desired depth of the ablation, which is a local sculpturing step, and the scanning action is coordinated to achieve desired ultimate surface change in the cornea. The scanning may be so controlled as to change the front surface of the cornea from a greater to a lesser spherical curvature, or from a lesser to a greater spherical curvature, thus effecting reduction in a myopic or in a hyperopic condition, without resort to a contact or other corrective auxiliary lens technique, in that the cornea becomes the corrective lens. The scanning may also be so controlled as to reduce astigmatism and to perform the precise incisions of a radial keratotomy. Still further, the scanning may be so controlled as to excise corneal tissue uniformly over a precisely controlled area of the cornea for precision accommodation of a corneal transplant.
Inventors
- 👤 Francis A. L'esperance
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 15:45
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/08; A; A61; A61F; A61F9/00; A61F9/007; A61F9/008; A61F9/00802; A61F9/00804; B23K26/082; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/30; A61B2017/306; A61B18/00; A61B18/18; A61B18/20; A61B2018/2035; A61B2018/20351; A61B2018/20355; A61F2009/00861; A61F2009/00872; A61F2009/00897; A61F9/009
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
Sculpture apparatus for operation upon the external surface of the cornea of an eye of a patient, comprising laser means having a chassis and producing an output beam in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, scan-deflection means positioned for deflection of said beam, and body-engageable means for steadying one eye of the patient with respect to said chassis and with a corneal portion of said one eye within a field traversed by scan deflection of said beam.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
Sculpture apparatus for operation upon the external surface of the cornea of an eye of a patient, comprising laser means having a chassis and producing an output beam in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, scan-deflection means positioned for deflection of said beam, and body-engageable means for steadying one eye of the patient with respect to said chassis and with a corneal portion of said one eye within a field traversed by scan deflection of said beam.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, and eye-fixation means fixed with respect to said chassis and aligned for observation through the other eye of the patient.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said laser means is an excimer laser operative with a gas selected from the group comprising fluorine, argon fluoride, krypton fluoride, xenon chloride, and xenon fluoride.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said laser means produces an output beam characterized by a wavelength not substantially exceeding 400 nm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, in which said scan-deflection means comprises mechanically displaceable optical components, and means for displacing the same to effect a predetermined deflection of said beam.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, in which said scan-deflection means includes an electromagnetic deflection yoke, and deflection-signal generator means connected to excite said yoke for effecting a predetermined displacing of said beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 6, in which said yoke is annular and is mounted for rotation about said beam, said yoke being connected for excitation to generate radial deflection of said beam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 6, in which said deflection yoke includes two defection systems which are individually operative to effect orthogonally related components of beam deflection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
-9.. Sculpture apparatus according to claim 8, in which said yoke is annular and is mounted for rotation about said beam, said yoke being connected for separate excitation of the respective deflection systems, and the excitation of at least one of said deflection systems being characterized by varying amplitude which is a nonlinear function of time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, in which said laser means includes a means for reducing its beam size at the eye of the patient to a spot size in the range 30 microns to 0.5mm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, in which said body-engageable means includes a circumferentially continuous hollow annular ring which is air-permeable at one axial side, said side being contoured for adaptation to the corneal-scleral region of an eye, and an external connection port to the hollow of said ring for external air-evacuating connection of the same.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
As an article of manufacture in aid of corneal surgery, a circumferentially continuous hollow annular ring which is air-permeable at one axial side, said side being contoured for adaptation to the corneal-scleral region of an eye, and an external connection port to the hollow of said ring for external air-evacuating connection of the same.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
As an article of manufacture in aid of corneal surgery, a circumferentially continuous hollow annular ring which is air-permeable at one axial side, said side being contoured for adaptation to the corneal-scleral region of an eye, and an external connection port to the hollow of said ring for external air-evacuating connection of the same.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
Sculpture apparatus according to claim 1, in which said scan-deflection means is radially operative with respect to the direction of beam travel to said one eye, said scan-deflection means including further means for rotating the direction in which the radial deflection is operative.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method of using the apparatus of claim 13, in which said further means is activated in periodic steps of predetermined angular indexing while deactivating said output beam, and in which said output beam is activated during periods of radial-scan action, said periods being between successive angular indexing operations, and beam exposure being limited to assure ablative photodecomposition to the extent of only partial penetration of the cornea, whereby to perform a radial keratotomy on the cornea.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of using the apparatus of claim 13, in which said further means is continuously operative in the course of a given radial-scan operation, whereby to develop a spirally sequenced course of beam incidence on the cornea, and beam exposure being limited to assure ablative photodecomposition to the extent of only partial penetration of the cornea.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said scan-deflection means includes means for selectively varying the scanned area of the field.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of using the apparatus of claim 16, which comprises scanning successive concentric fields of successively varied area in the course of operation upon a single cornea, whereby cornea curvature is re- characterized.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of using the apparatus of claim 1, in which said scan-deflection means includes means limiting the field of scan action at the cornea to a predetermined fraction of and configuration within the external area of the cornea, and limiting beam exposure to assure ablative photodecomposition only within said configuration.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 18, in which beam-exposure flux within said configuration is substantially uniform and is to a penetration depth which is but a fraction of corneal thickness, whereby a recess may be carved for acceptance of a corneal transplant conforming to said configuration.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 18, in which total beam-exposure flux within said configuration is to a greater extent at the optical center of the cornea and decreases smoothly in the radial direction of the perimeter of said configuration, whereby a myopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said configuration.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
52 words
, The method of claim 18, in which total beam-exposure flux within said configuration is to a minimum extent at the optical center of the cornea and increases smoothly in the radial direction of the perimeter of said configuration, whereby a hyperopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said configuration.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 20, in which said means limiting the field of scan action has provision for sequencing a succession of stepped concentric annular increments of said field, and in which beam-exposure flux within said increments is essentially only to the extent needed to complete the fraction of the myopia-correcting new curvature as the same may be required within the applicable increment, whereby a Fresnel-characterized myopia-correcting change is effected in the cornea.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 21, in which said means limiting the field of scan action has provision for sequencing a succession of stepped concentric annular increments of said field, and in which beam-exposure flux within said increments is essentially only to the extent needed to complete the fraction of the hyperopia-correcting new curvature as the same may be required within the applicable increment, whereby a Fresnel-characterized hyperopia-correcting change is effected in the cornea.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
136 words
The method of using a scan-deflectable pulsed ultraviolet laser beam to selectively ablate the external surface of a cornea, which comprises focusing the laser beam to an elemental spot size which is but a small fraction of the area of the cornea to be subjected to ablation, adjusting the beam-exposure flux per pulse to a level at which resultant corneal-tissue ablation per pulse is tc an ascertained elemental depth which is but a fraction of desired maximum ablation into the stroma region of the cornea, and scanning said area in a pattern to impact the cornea with greatest density of pulses per unit area at the optical center and with pulse density decreasing smoothly with increasing radius to the perimeter of said area, whereby a myopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said area.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
136 words
The method of using a scan-deflectable pulsed ultraviolet laser beam to selectively ablate the external surface of a cornea, which comprises focusing the laser beam to an elemental spot size which is but a small fraction of the area of the cornea to be subjected to ablation, adjusting the beam-exposure flux per pulse to a level at which resultant corneal-tissue ablation per pulse is tc an ascertained elemental depth which is but a fraction of desired maximum ablation into the stroma region of the cornea, and scanning said area in a pattern to impact the cornea with greatest density of pulses per unit area at the optical center and with pulse density decreasing smoothly with increasing radius to the perimeter of said area, whereby a myopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said area.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
136 words
The method of using a scan-deflectable pulsed ultraviolet laser beam to selectively ablate the external surface of a cornea, which comprises focusing the laser beam to an elemental spot size which is but a small fraction of the area of the cornea to be subjected to ablation, adjusting the beam-exposure flux per pulse to a level at which resultant corneal-tissue ablation per pulse is to an ascertained elemental depth which is but a fraction of desired maximum ablation into the stroma region of the cornea, and scanning said area in a pattern to impact the cornea with least density of pulses per unit area at the optical center and with pulse density increasing smoothly with increasing radius to the perimeter of said area, whereby a hyperopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said area.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
136 words
The method of using a scan-deflectable pulsed ultraviolet laser beam to selectively ablate the external surface of a cornea, which comprises focusing the laser beam to an elemental spot size which is but a small fraction of the area of the cornea to be subjected to ablation, adjusting the beam-exposure flux per pulse to a level at which resultant corneal-tissue ablation per pulse is to an ascertained elemental depth which is but a fraction of desired maximum ablation into the stroma region of the cornea, and scanning said area in a pattern to impact the cornea with least density of pulses per unit area at the optical center and with pulse density increasing smoothly with increasing radius to the perimeter of said area, whereby a hyperopia-correcting new curvature is imparted to the cornea within said area.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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