Laser system for corneal grafting
AssigneeWavelight Laser Technologie AG
InventorChristof Donitzky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser system serves for corneal grafting by photodisruptive laser cutting. To this end, short laser pulses within the range from 1 fs to 10 ns are positioned and guided in the cornea in such a way that the foci (20) of the laser pulses describe an incision path in the cornea (12) that exhibits an undercut, so that a seal between the juxtaposed surfaces of the implant and of the residual cornea arises between a donor implant and the recipient cornea which is promoted by the overpressure of the eye
Claims7
A laser system with
- a laser-beam source (16) which emits laser pulses (18) with wavelengths in respect of which the human cornea (12) is transparent and with pulse-lengths within the nanosecond to femtosecond range, and
- optical means (22, 24, 28) for controlling the position and the focus (20) of the laser pulses (18), characterised by
- a computer unit (26) which is programmed in such a manner that it controls the optical means (22, 24, 28) in such a way that, in relation to an optical axis (14) of the cornea (12), the foci (20) describe a path (30) in the interior of the cornea which is guided about the axis (14) and which exhibits in the axial direction at least one undercut with a sealing surface (34) which corresponds to at least 75% of the area of the optical zone of the cornea.
Laser system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wavelength lies in the near-infrared.
Laser system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the laser pulse-lengths lie within the range from 1 fs to 10 ns.
Laser system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the program-controlled computer unit (26) controls the path (30) of the foci (20) in such a way that the undercut sealing surface (34) extends substantially radially in relation to the optical axis (14) of the cornea.
Laser system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the program-controlled computer unit (26) controls the path of the foci (20) in such a way that the radial undercut ensures that an implant (12b) in the residual cornea (12a) assumes a stable position under the pressure (P) within the eye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.