Treating eye conditions with subthreshold femtosecond laser pulses
AssigneeAlcon Inc.
InventorZsolt Bor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a target tissue in an eye includes a target detection system and a laser device. The target tissue has an optical breakdown threshold. The target detection system directs detection beams along a detection beam path towards the target tissue in a vitreous of the eye, and determines a location of the target tissue within the vitreous. The laser device includes a femtosecond laser that generates subthreshold laser pulses that have a pulse energy below the optical breakdown threshold of the tissue. The laser device directs a laser beam comprising the subthreshold laser pulses along a laser beam path towards the target tissue.
Claims20
An ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a target tissue in an eye, comprising:
- a target detection system configured to:
- direct one or more detection beams along a detection beam path towards the target tissue in a vitreous of the eye, the target tissue having an optical breakdown threshold;
- and
- determine a location of the target tissue within the vitreous based on a target shadow cast by the target tissue onto a retina of the eye;
- and
- a laser device comprising a femtosecond laser configured to generate a plurality of subthreshold laser pulses, the subthreshold laser pulses having a pulse energy below the optical breakdown threshold of the target tissue, the laser device configured to:
- direct a laser beam comprising the plurality of subthreshold laser pulses along a laser beam path towards the target tissue.
An ophthalmic laser surgical system for treating a target tissue in an eye, comprising:
- a target detection system configured to:
- direct one or more detection beams along a detection beam path towards the target tissue in a vitreous of the eye, the target tissue having an optical breakdown threshold;
- and
- determine a location of the target tissue within the vitreous based on a target shadow cast by the target tissue onto a retina of the eye;
- and
- a laser device comprising a femtosecond laser configured to generate a plurality of subthreshold laser pulses, the subthreshold laser pulses having a pulse energy below the optical breakdown threshold of the target tissue, the pulse energy is 1 to 100 nanojoules (nJ), the subthreshold laser pulses having a duration of 10 to 500 femtoseconds (fs) and a repetition rate of 1 to 100 megahertz (MHz), the laser device configured to:
- direct a laser beam comprising the plurality of subthreshold laser pulses along a laser beam path towards the target tissue by directing 10 to 100 subthreshold laser pulses towards a same target spot of the target tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.