Patterned laser treatment of the retina
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsMark S. Blumenkranz, Daniel V. Palanker, Dimitri Yellachich
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Abstract
Patterned laser treatment of the retina is provided. A visible alignment pattern having at least two separated spots is projected onto the retina. By triggering a laser subsystem, doses of laser energy are automatically provided to at least two treatment locations coincident with the alignment spots. All of the doses of laser energy may be delivered in less than about 1 second, which is a typical eye fixation time. A scanner can be used to sequentially move an alignment beam from spot to spot on the retina and to move a treatment laser beam from location to location on the retina.
Claims26
A system for laser treatment of the retina of an eye of a patient, the system comprising:
- a. an alignment source producing an alignment beam;
- b. a treatment source producing a treatment beam;
- c. one or more scanning elements configured to direct the alignment beam and treatment beam to various positions on a retina of a patient;
- and
- d. a processor operatively coupled to the one or more scanning elements, the processor configured to controllably shutter the alignment and treatment beams and operate the one or more scanning elements to:
- 1) project a visible alignment pattern comprising a plurality of separate alignment spots onto said retina, the alignment pattern produced through sequential directing of the alignment beam to each of the spots with the one or more scanning elements;
- and
- 2) deliver, responsive to an input from an operator and within a time period of about one second, sequential doses of laser energy to at least two separate treatment locations on said retina which are substantially co-located with at least two of the separate alignment spots.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.