US 10,238,540 B2Granted

Short duration pulse grid pattern laser treatment and methods

AssigneeIRIDEX Corporation

InventorsKingman Yee, David Buzawa

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems for treating the retina and/or other areas of a patient's eye. The procedures may involve using one or more treatment beams (e.g., lasers) to cause photocoagulation or laser coagulation to finely cauterize ocular blood vessels and/or prevent blood vessel growth to induce one or more therapeutic benefits. In other embodiments, a series of short duration light pulses (e.g., between 5-15 microseconds) may be delivered to the retinal tissue with a thermal relaxation time delay between the pulse to limit the temperature rise of the target retinal tissue and thereby limit a thermal effect to only the retinal pigment epithelial layer. Such procedures may be used to treat diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and/or other conditions of the eye. The treatment beam may be delivered within a treatment boundary or pattern defined on the retina of the patient's eye.

Claims20

Dependent claims

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;
a scanning device disposed along the aiming beam path and the treatment beam path and configured to scan the aiming beam and the treatment beam along retinal tissue of the patient's eye;
and
a processor operable with the scanning device, the aiming beam source, and the treatment beam source, the processor being configured to:
direct the aiming beam onto the retinal tissue of the patient's eye to define a first target position and a second target position;
direct the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue of the patient's eye;
deliver a first pulse from the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue at each of the first target position and the second target position to treat the retinal tissue;
and
return the treatment beam to the first target position to deliver a second pulse onto the retinal tissue at the first target position and the second target position to deliver a second pulse onto the retinal tissue at the second target position after a relaxation interval of the first target position,
wherein:
a duration of each pulse is sufficiently short so as to avoid inducing photocoagulation of the retinal tissue that results in visible tissue damage;
a cumulative effect of the pulses directed to each position induces photoactivation that is effective to treat the retinal tissue at that position;
the treatment beam is scanned between the first target position and the second target position between each pulse;
and
the treatment beam is scanned during the relaxation interval of the first target position such that the retinal tissue at the first target position relaxes, the relaxation interval comprising at least 190 microseconds.

13 more elements

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;
a scanning device disposed along the aiming beam path and the treatment beam path and configured to scan the aiming beam and the treatment beam along a retina of the patient's eye;
and
a processor operable with the scanning device, the processor being configured to:
direct the aiming beam onto retinal tissue of the patient's eye to define a plurality of target positions;
direct the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue of the patient's eye to deliver a first pulse to each target position of the plurality of target positions to treat the retinal tissue;
scan the treatment beam between a different target position between each first pulse;
and
return the treatment beam to the previously treated target positions to deliver a second pulse to each target position of the plurality of target positions;
wherein:
the treatment beam is scanned during a relaxation interval of a respective target position such that the retinal tissue at the respective target position relaxes, the relaxation interval comprising at least 190 microseconds;
the treatment beam is returned to the previously treated target positions after the relaxation interval;
a duration of each pulse is sufficiently short so as to avoid inducing photocoagulation of the retinal tissue that results in visible tissue damage;
and
a cumulative effect of the pulses directed to each position induces photoactivation that is effective to treat the retinal tissue at that position.

13 more elements

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;
a scanning device disposed along the aiming beam path and the treatment beam path and configured to scan the aiming beam and the treatment beam along a retina of the patient's eye;
and
a processor operable with the scanning device, the processor being configured to:
direct the aiming beam onto retinal tissue of the patient's eye to define a treatment boundary on the retinal tissue that separates the retinal tissue into a first area and a second area, the first area including a first target position and a second target position;
direct the treatment beam onto the retinal tissue of the patient's eye within the first area of the treatment boundary to deliver a first pulse to each of the first and second target positions;
scan the treatment beam within the first area of the treatment boundary between the first position and the second position in an alternating fashion to deliver the first pulses;
and
return the treatment beam to the previously treated first and second target positions to deliver a second pulse to each of the first and second target positions, the treatment beam being scanned during a relaxation interval of a respective target position such that the retinal tissue at the respective target position relaxes, the relaxation interval comprising at least 190 microseconds, and the treatment beam being returned to the previously treated first and second target positions after the respective relaxation interval,
wherein:
a duration of each pulse is sufficiently short so as to avoid inducing photocoagulation of the retinal tissue that results in visible tissue damage;
and
a cumulative effect of the pulses directed to each position induces photoactivation that is effective to treat the retinal tissue at that position.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/017,553Filed 5 Feb 2016 · division
Priority: 19 Oct 2011
Published: US 2016/0228295 A111 Aug 2016
Granted: 26 Mar 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A61F 9/00821
Using laser: for coagulation
A61F 9/008
Methods or devices for eye surgery: using laser
A61F 9/00823
For coagulation: laser features or special beam parameters therefor
A61B 2018/00315
Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body: for treatment of particular body parts

Family

Application61/549,036Us provisional application · filed 19 Oct 2011
Application13/656,332Parent of this division · filed 19 Oct 2012
US 2016/0228295 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Aug 2016
US 9,278,029 B2Parent of this division
US 2013/0110206 A1Published application
US 10,238,540 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.