Method and apparatus for ophthalmic surgery

An ophthalmic surgical system for performing surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:

• a. a laser source for generating a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery;
• b. a controller, optically coupled to the laser beam, for controlling positioning of the laser beam;
• c. a delivery system having a movable distal end and proximal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source, for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery means;
• d. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system for directing the laser beam into an interaction point or an area having a location, the location of the interaction point being determined by the controller;
• and
• e. an applanator plate, the a planator plate having at least one shaped surface means, the surgical tip being in contact with the applanator plate during surgery on an eye, the shaped surface means being placed in contact with of the outer surface of the eye during surgery on the eye, the shaped surface means for defining a predetermined area of the eye for a surgical procedure to be performed in such area and for conforming the predetermined area of the eye to the shaped surface of the shaped surface means, such conformed predetermined area providing a positional reference in three-dimensional space with respect to the laser beam interaction point in the eye to allow three-dimensional control of the interaction point in the eye by the laser source and controller, wherein the shaped surface means displaces the outer surface of the eye such that lineal or non-lineal excisions made while the applanator plate is in contact with the eye transform to non-lineal excisions upon removal of the applanator plate from the eye.

An ophthalmic surgical system for performing ophthalmic surgery upon an eye having an outer surface, the ophthalmic surgical system including:

• a. a laser source for generating, and controlling positioning of, a laser beam suitable for ophthalmic surgery;
• b. a delivery system having a proximal end and a movable distal end, the proximal end being coupled to the laser source, for guiding the laser beam to the distal end of the delivery system;
• c. a surgical tip at the distal end of the delivery system, for focussing the laser beam into an area having a size and location, the size and location of the area being determined by the control means of the laser source with respect to a three-dimensional positional frame of refer, race that is fixed relative to the distal end of the delivery system;
• and
• an applanator plate, adapted to be rigidly attached to a portion of the outer surface of an eye during surgery, the surgical tip being rigidly attached to the applanator plate during such surgery, the applanator plate thus fixing the three-dimensional positional frame of reference relative to the outer surface of the eye to provide precision three-dimensional reference of an interaction point between tissue of the eye and the laser beam.

A method of ophthalmic surgery, including the steps of:

• e. generating a laser beam from a laser source;
• f. directing the laser beam through at least one optical element from the laser source to a surgical tip;
• g. contacting a first surface of an applanator plate to a portion of the outer surface of an eye such that the portion of the outer surface of the eye is displaced to conform to the shape of the first surface of the applanator plate, such contact between the applanator plate and the eye thereby defining an area through which the laser beam interacts with tissue of the eye;
• h. rigidly attaching the surgical tip to a second surface of the applanator plate;
• and
• i. focusing the laser beam from the surgical tip through the applanator plate to at a plurality of predetermined locations in the eye, each such location having a fixed three-dimensional reference with respect to the applanator plate, the focused laser beam interacting with eye tissue at each such location.