Systems, methods, and devices used to treat eyelids, meibomian glands, ducts, and surrounding tissue are described herein. In some embodiments, an eye treatment device is disclosed, which includes a scleral shield positionable proximate an inner surface of an eyelid, the scleral shield being made of, or coated with, an energy-absorbing material activated by a light energy, and an energy transducer positionable outside of the eyelid, the energy transducer configured to provide light energy at one or more wavelengths, including a first wavelength selected to heat the energy-absorbing material. Wherein, when the eyelid is positioned between the energy transducer and the scleral shield, the light energy from the energy transducer and the heated energy-absorbing material of the scleral shield conductively heats a target tissue region sufficiently to melt meibum within meibomian glands located within or adjacent to the target tissue region.

An antimicrobial treatment system comprises a wearable photoactivation device. The wearable photoactivation device includes a body configured to be positioned on a head of a subject over one or more eyes of the subject. The body includes one or more windows or openings that allow the one or more eyes to see through the body. The body includes one or more photoactivating light sources coupled to the body and configured to direct photoactivating light to the one or more eyes according to illumination parameters. The illumination parameters determine a dose of the photoactivating light that activates, according to photochemical kinetic reactions, a photosensitizer applied to the one or more eyes and generates reactive oxygen species that provide an antimicrobial effect in the one or more eyes, without substantially inducing cross-linking activity that produces biomechanical changes in the one or more eyes.

A system includes a radiation source, one or more beam-directing elements, and a controller. The controller is configured to cause the radiation source to emit one or more aiming beams at the beam-directing elements such that the aiming beams are directed, by the beam-directing elements, toward an eye of a patient, to verify that each of the aiming beams is properly directed by the beam-directing elements, and, in response to verifying that each of the aiming beams is properly directed by the beam-directing elements, to treat the eye by causing the radiation source to irradiate one or more target regions of the eye with respective treatment beams. Other embodiments are also described.

An ocular protection device and treatment methods are disclosed. The device has a corneal shield with an attached handle. The handle may be used to move the corneal shield to better protect the eye from various treatment modalities. The handle may also be used to place tension on the eyelid to counteract the forces imposed by a treatment handpiece. A procedure for treating the eye is disclosed where multiple passes with a treatment handpiece cause a gradual increase in the temperature of an eyelid up to a treatment temperature. Once the treatment temperature has been met, occlusions in the Meibomian glands of the eyelid may be expressed. The procedure may be repeated recursively until a desired level of expression has been achieved.

An elongate electrode is configured to flex and generate plasma to incise tissue. An electrical energy source operatively coupled to the electrode is configured to provide electrical energy to the electrode to generate the plasma. A tensioning element is operatively coupled to the elongate electrode. The tensioning element can be configured to provide tension to the elongate electrode to allow the elongate electrode to flex in response to the elongate electrode engaging the tissue and generating the plasma. The tensioning element operatively coupled to the flexible elongate electrode may allow for the use of a small diameter electrode, such as a 5 ?m to 20 ?m diameter electrode, which can allow narrow incisions to be formed with decreased tissue damage. In some embodiments, the tensioning of the electrode allows the electrode to more accurately incise tissue by decreasing variations in the position of the electrode along the incision path.

A system (1) for treating and monitoring the condition of an eye (6) includes a light source, preferably a non-lasing LED (2), for irradiating the eye at a wavelength sufficient to reverse eye damage. The system also includes an excitation light source, preferably a non-lasing LED (4), for exciting fluorescence in the eye and a detector (22) for detecting fluorescence stimulated by the excitation LED (4). The system may also include a second non-lasing light source, preferably a non-lasing LED, for irradiating the eye; and a detector for detecting scatter of light from the eye. Methods for monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions such as cataracts are also provided.

A device and a method for irradiating the cornea of an eye, wherein the device includes at least the following elements: a ring body, which has a bearing surface embodied concentrically about the longitudinal axis of the device for the purpose of fastening the device on the eye, an irradiation channel for irradiating the cornea, which is located inside the ring body, a light source, which, in the operationally-ready state of the device, is attached inside the ring body for emitting light in the irradiation channel, wherein the bearing surface for fastening the device is arranged outside the irradiation channel, which has the result that the irradiated area itself is not additionally loaded by bearing surfaces of the device.

Illumination apparatus, ocular apparatus, and ocular method for treating at least one eye. Illuminator illuminates eyes with 100 lux of monochromatic red light of 640 nm to 690 nm. Illuminator controls progressive myopia leading to excessive axial elongation in a juvenile or to ameliorate macular degeneration in an aging adult. Illuminator provides indirect light or diffuse light. Illuminator provides illuminance values from 2,000 lux to 30,000 lux, with a nominal indirect total combined light exposure of 9000 lux. Illuminator provides greater than 1 lux of monochromatic violet-blue light from 440 nm to 484 nm. Illuminator minimizes light wavelengths from 484 nm to 640 nm, and eliminates light having of wavelengths at or near to 550 nm. Illuminator provides visible display images and invisible illumination, with the invisible illumination being greater than 2 Watts per areal centimeter of invisible, continuous, diffuse non-graphic monochromatic Near Infrared (NIR) light directed at ocular tissues.

Devices and approaches for monitoring time based photo active agent delivery or photo active marker presence in an eye. A monitoring system is provided for measuring the presence of a photo active marker by illuminating the eye so as to excite the photo-active marker and then observing characteristic emission from the photo active marker. Example systems incorporate Scheimpflug optical systems or slit lamp optical systems to observe cross sectional images of an eye to monitor instantaneous distribution, diffusion pattern, and rate of uptake of a photo active agent applied to an eye. Systems and methods further allow for utilizing the monitored distribution of photo active agent in the eye as feedback for a cross-linking system.

A device and method for cutting or ablating tissue in a human or veterinary patient includes an elongate probe having a distal end, a tissue cutting or ablating apparatus located adjacent within the distal end, and a tissue protector extending from the distal end. The protector generally has a first side and a second side and the tissue cutting or ablating apparatus is located adjacent to the first side thereof. The distal end is structured to be advanceable into tissue or otherwise placed and positioned within the patient's body such that tissue adjacent to the first side of the protector is cut away or ablated by the tissue cutting or ablation apparatus while tissue that is adjacent to the second side of the protector is not substantially damaged by the tissue cutting or ablating apparatus.