Retinal imaging for reference during laser eye surgery

A method of eye surgery on an astigmatic patient, comprising:

• pre-operatively obtaining a first retinal image of the retinal vessel architecture or optic nerve;
• storing the first retinal image in a system memory of a laser eye surgery system having software;
• pre-operatively scanning the corneal topography of the patient to obtain a scan;
• correlating the first retinal image and scan to determine retinal landmarks associated with an astigmatic axis of the patient and storing the correlation in the system memory;
• positioning the patient under the laser eye surgery system;
• obtaining a second retinal image of the retinal vessel architecture or optic nerve while the patient is positioned under the laser eye surgery system;
• analyzing the second retinal image to gauge a misalignment of the eye compared to the first retinal image stored in system memory;
• alerting the system software of any misalignment;
• adjusting the patient or laser eye surgery system based on the misalignment and correlation of the first and second retinal images and scan;
• and
• performing an eye surgery.