Method and apparatus for performing ophthalmic procedures removing undesirable features using laser energy

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions for performing an ophthalmic procedure on an eye including a lens and a retina, the eye having an optical path from the lens to the retina, the program instructions for:

• receiving an image of at least a portion of the eye in a data processing unit of an ophthalmic laser system including the data processing unit and a control unit, the portion of the eye including the optical path;
• determining;
• using the data processing unit, at least one keep out zone based on the image;
• identifying, using the data processing unit, one or more vitreous opacities based on the image;
• determining that at least one of the vitreous opacity is undesirable based on whether the at least one vitreous opacity has one or more characteristic that is greater than a predetermined threshold;
• selecting the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable for removal when the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable is outside of the at least one keep out zone;
• controlling a laser via the control unit to perform laser removal of the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable without targeting any portion of the at least one keep out zone.

A system for performing an ophthalmic procedure on an eye including a lens and a retina, the eye having an optical path from the lens to the retina, the system comprising:

• a laser;
• a data processing unit operable to:
• receive an image of at least a portion of the eye in a data processing unit of an ophthalmic laser system including the data processing unit and a control unit, the portion of the eye including the optical path;
• determine at least one keep out zone based on the image;
• identify one or more vitreous opacities based on the image;
• determine that at least one of the vitreous opacity is undesirable based on whether the at least one vitreous opacity has one or more characteristic that is greater than a predetermined threshold;
• select the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable for removal when the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable is outside of the at least one keep out zone;
• and
• control a laser via the control unit to perform laser removal of the at least one vitreous opacity determined to be undesirable without targeting any portion of the at least one keep out zone.