US 12,721,518 B2Granted

Eye scopes

OwnerLeonard Zheleznyak, John Weberginventors

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Abstract

Scopes for viewing interior chambers of the eye include a refractive hydrogel polymer button formed by femtosecond laser micro-machining. The refractive button is sandwiched between two transparent plates and mounted on an ocular adapted to be placed directly on the cornea. A physician may look directly through the scope to see anatomical structures at very steep angles within the eye, such as to function as a gonioscope when viewing the anterior chamber angle. The scopes can be modified for viewing a variety of anatomical structures within the eye, and can also be used in conjunction with treatments such as by guiding injections or laser procedures. The refractive button has at least one region with a wavefront pattern of linear steps formed therein. Multiple regions with different wavefront patterns provide the physician with greater flexibility. The refractive button may be rotated relative to the ocular to further customize the image.

Claims30

Dependent claims

An eye scope, comprising:

a polymer member having a refractive index and a proximal and distal side, with the distal side towards an eye, wherein the polymer member has a central axis perpendicular to both the proximal and distal sides;
the polymer member having an internal layer with a refractive index having a wavefront pattern that deflects light passing through the polymer member from the distal to the proximal side;
a transparent rigid support member is positioned on a side of the polymer member;
and
a transparent patient contact interface positioned distal to the rigid support member, which is positioned distal to the polymer member, wherein the eye scope may be placed with the patient contact interface in contact with a patient's cornea;
and
a second polymer member having an internal layer modified by femtosecond laser micromachining to have a wavefront pattern that deflects light passing through the second polymer member from the distal to the proximal side, the second polymer member being positioned on the distal side of the rigid support member, wherein
an observer may look through the eye scope to view interior details of an eye that are at an angle from the central axis of the eye.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.