Device for adjusting the irrigation pressure in eye operations

A method of controlling a device for eye surgery in order to adjust an irrigation pressure predetermined by a surgeon, comprising:

• delivering a fluid from a container via an irrigation line into a surgical handpiece, the fluid being delivered from the surgical handpiece into an eye on which surgery has been or is being performed;
• and
• aspirating material and/or fluid from the eye via a negative pressure applied by a suction pump;
• upon initial actuation of a foot switch, charging the fluid to be delivered from the container to the irrigation line with an atmospheric overpressure (PATO);
• and
• upon further actuation of the foot switch, electrically adjusting a height of a pillar supporting the container in order to adjust the predetermined irrigation pressure,
• wherein setting the predetermined irrigation pressure is thereby accomplished by both adjusting the height of the pillar and charging with the atmospheric overpressure (PATO),
• wherein the suction pump is controlled to evenly increase the negative pressure upon a progressively increasing actuation of the foot switch.

A device for use in eye surgery, comprising:

• a container with fluid which is connected via an irrigation line to a surgical handpiece for delivering the fluid for rinsing an eye on which surgery has been or is being performed,
• a pillar electrically adjustable in its height and configured for supporting the container and for adjusting a height between the container and the surgical handpiece,
• an overpressure pump configured for charging the fluid to be delivered from the container to the irrigation line with an atmospheric overpressure (PATO),
• a suction pump for generating a negative pressure for aspirating material and/or fluid from the eye, the suction pump being connected via an aspiration line to the surgical handpiece, and
• a foot switch for controlling the irrigation pressure, the height of the pillar, and the suction pump, wherein the foot switch is configured so that, upon initial actuation, the foot switch triggers the overpressure pump to charge the atmospheric overpressure (PATO), upon a subsequent further actuation of the foot switch, the foot switch further increases the irrigation pressure by adjusting the height of the pillar, and upon progressively increasing actuation of the foot switch, the negative pressure generated by the suction pump is correspondingly progressively increased.