Optical feedback system for vision correction
AssigneeVISX, Incorporated
InventorVladimir Lemberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides laser eye surgery devices, systems, and methods which measure the refractive error in the eye before, during, and/or after vision correction surgery. The invention allows adjustments during the vision correction operation, and allows qualitative and/or quantitative measurements of the progress of photorefractive treatments by projecting and imaging reference images though the cornea and other components of the ocular optical system. A slope of an image quality value such as an Optical Transfer Function may be monitored during the procedure to help determine when to terminate treatment.
Claims25
An eye treatment system for performing vision correction on an eye, the eye having a retina and ocular optics including a cornea, the system comprising:
- projection optics which project a reference image through the ocular optics and onto the retina when the eye is positioned for treatment;
- imaging optics which acquire an evaluation image from the retina through the ocular optics, the evaluation image defined by the reference image as projected through the ocular optics and as imaged through the ocular optics;
- and
- an energy transmitting element positioned relative to the imaging optics to transmit treatment energy toward the cornea for altering the ocular optics of the positioned eye.
An eye treatment system for performing vision correction on an eye having a retina disposed behind ocular optics, the ocular optics including a cornea, the system comprising:
- projection optics which project a reference image through the ocular optics and onto the retina;
- imaging optics which acquire an evaluation image from the retina through the ocular optics, the imaging optics defining an path;
- an image capture device optically coupled to the imaging optics and generating analysis image signals in response to the evaluation image;
- an image analyze coupled to the image capture device, the image analyzer determining an imaging quality of the ocular optics in response to the analysis image signals;
- and
- a corneal ablation laser system directing a laser beam toward the cornea for altering the ocular optics, at least a portion of the laser beam being substantially coaxially aligned along at least a portion of the imaging path, the laser system coupled to the image analyzer along a corneal treatment feedback path, the laser system altering the laser beam in response to feedback signals from the feedback path.
An eye treatment system for performing vision correction on an eye, the eye having a retina and ocular optics including a cornea, the system comprising:
- projection optics which project a reference image through the ocular optics and onto the retina when the eye is positioned for treatment, wherein the reference image is adapted to indicate a quality of the corneal optics;
- imaging optics which acquire an evaluation image from the retina through the ocular optics, the evaluation image defined by the reference image as projected through the ocular optics and as imaged through the ocular optics, wherein the imaging optics comprise at least some of the optical components of a microscope;
- an energy transmitting element positioned relative to the imaging optics to transmit treatment energy toward the cornea for altering the ocular optics of the positioned eye;
- and
- an input coupled to the energy transmitting element for terminating the treatment energy at a predetermined rate of change of the imaging quality.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.