Apparatrus and method for performing presbyopia corrective surgery

A presbyopia correction system, comprising:

• means for removing exposed corneal stroma tissue;
• means for controlling the corneal stroma tissue removing means, so as to form an ablation region in a corneal stroma of an eye, to thereby provide presbyopic correction to the eye;
• and
• means for determining a nasal-superior center point, for use by the means for controlling the corneal stroma tissue removing means in forming the ablation region.

A method of producing a presbyopic corrective cornea profile, comprising:

• a) defining an internal circular zone A, having a diameter I, which represents an unablated portion of the profile;
• b) defining an inner annular ablated zone B, about the internal circular zone, having an outer diameter H and an internal diameter I;
• c) defining an intermediate annular zone C, about the inner annular ablated zone B, having an outer diameter G and an internal diameter H;
• d) defining an outer annular zone D, about the intermediate annular zone C, having an internal diameter G, and having an outer periphery with a diameter F;
• and
• e) establishing a presbyopic corrective cornea profile based on the zones defined in steps a) to d).

A method for determining a nasal-superior central point for a central unablated zone of a presbyopic corrective corneal contour, comprising:

• identifying four quadrants of a pupil of an eye based on a physical center point of the pupil;
• and thereafter
• identifying the position of the nasal-superior central point, which is:
• a pre-determined distance from the center point of the pupil to an upper edge of the pupil;
• and
• a pre-determined distance from the center point of the pupil to an inner edge of the pupil nearest the nose.

An apparatus for adapting a laser system for use as a presbyopic corrective system, the apparatus comprising:

• means for establishing a presbyopic corrective laser ablation profile, for use with a control system of the laser system, which means for establishing is based on zone representations of the eye which include:
• a) an internal circular zone A, having a diameter I, which represents an unablated portion of the profile,
• b) an inner annular ablated zone B, about the internal circular zone, having an outer diameter H and an internal diameter I,
• c) an intermediate annular zone C, about the inner annular ablated zone B, having an outer diameter G and an internal diameter H, and
• d) an outer annular zone D, about the intermediate annular zone C, having an internal diameter G, and having an outer periphery with a diameter F;
• and input means for inputting data to said means for establishing from which the presbyopic corrective laser ablation profile is determined.