Interface force feedback in a laser eye surgery system

A laser eye surgery system, comprising:

• a patient support;
• a patient interface assembly comprising a housing and a patient interface disposed within the housing so as to be vertically movable within the housing, wherein the patient interface is configured for coupling to an eye of a patient, the patient interface having an axis alignable with the eye of the patient, the patient interface comprising at least three force transducers to monitor forces between the eye of the patient and the patient interface and in response thereto to output force data;
• and
• a controller which is configured to receive the force data from each of the force transducers and to ascertain therefrom:
• a first force between the eye of the patient and the patient interface along the axis of the patient interface, a second force between the eye of the patient and the patient interface in a first direction transverse to the axis and a third force between the eye of the patient and the patient interface in a second direction transverse to the axis, the controller being coupled to the patient support and further being configured to move the patient support along the axis and transverse to the axis in response to the ascertained forces,
• wherein the controller embodies instructions of a program which is executed by the controller to move the patient support along the axis and in the first direction transverse to the axis and the second direction transverse to the axis in response to the ascertained forces so as to maintain each of the first, second, and third forces between the eye of the patient and the patient interface within a desired range.