Apparatuses and methods for the treatment of glaucoma are provided. The instrument uses either cauterization, a laser to ablate, sonic or ultrasonic energy to emulsify, or mechanical cutting of a portion of the trabecular meshwork. The instrument may also be provided with irrigation, aspiration, and a footplate. The footplate is used to enter Schlemm's canal, serves as a guide, and also protects Schlemm's canal.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for aiding a surgeon to perform a surgical procedure on an eye. The surgical procedure includes inserting an elongate probe from an opening into the eye across an anterior chamber to a target tissue region comprising a trabecular meshwork and a Schlemm's canal. Exemplary systems include an optical microscope for the surgeon to view the eye with a microscope image during the procedure; an optical coherence tomography (OCT) apparatus configured to perform an OCT scan of a target location in the target tissue region during the procedure; and an image processing apparatus configured to generate an augmented image by overlaying an OCT image of target location and a graphical visual element identifying the locations, wherein the graphical visual element is registered with the microscope image to aid the surgeon in advancing a distal end of the elongate probe to the target location.

A method to selectively permeabilize and/or fragmentize cells. A structure comprising a material and particles able to absorb electromagnetic radiation and cells are brought at close distance from each other. Part of the particles embedded in the structure are exposed to the free surface of the structure. The structure and, in particular, the particles in the structure are irradiated with electromagnetic radiation to selectively permeabilize and/or fragmentize the cells. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a structure for use in a photothermal process to selectively permeabilize and/or fragmentize cells.

A first image of the eye is generated when the cornea of the eye is exposed to a gas. The cornea is covered with an optic of a patient interface. A second image of the eye with the patient interface over the cornea is generated. In this second image, the patient interface distorts the second image of the eye. One or more of a position or an orientation of the eye is determined in response to the first image and the second image when the patient interface has been placed over the cornea.

A steerable laser probe may include a handle having a handle distal end and a handle proximal end, an actuation control of the handle, a housing tube having a housing tube distal end and a housing tube proximal end, a first housing tube portion having a first stiffness, a second housing tube portion having a second stiffness, an optic fiber disposed within an inner portion of the handle and the housing tube, and a cable disposed within the housing tube and the actuation control. A rotation of the actuation control may be configured to gradually curve the housing tube and the optic fiber. A rotation of the actuation control may be configured to gradually straighten the housing tube and the optic fiber.

A method and delivery system are disclosed for creating an aqueous flow pathway in the trabecular meshwork, juxtacanalicular trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal of an eye for reducing elevated intraocular pressure. Pulsed laser radiation is delivered from the distal end of a fiber-optic probe sufficient to cause photoablation of selected portions of the trabecular meshwork, the juxtacanalicular trabecular meshwork and an inner wall of Schlemm's canal in the target site. The fiber-optic probe may be advanced so as to create an aperture in the inner wall of Schlemm's canal in which fluid from the anterior chamber of the eye flows. The method and delivery system may further be used on any tissue types in the body.

One embodiment is directed to a patient interface system for ophthalmic intervention on an eye of a patient, comprising: a housing; an optical lens coupled to the housing and having a focal axis; a eye surface engagement assembly coupled to the housing and comprising an inner seal having an inner seal diameter and being configured to circumferentially engage the eye, an outer seal having an outer seal diameter and being configured to circumferentially engage the eye, and a tissue migration bolster structure configured to be positioned circumferentially between the inner and outer circumferential seals and to prevent migration of tissue of the eye toward the eye surface engagement assembly when a vacuum load is applied within the assembly to cause vacuum engagement of the inner and outer seals against the eye.

A new and novel method for determining post procedural treatment is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: determining a depth at which a surgical procedure on at least one eye of a patient is to be performed or was performed; providing a first set of instructions for administering a first medication for a first length of time to said at least one eye of said patient, said first length of time based at least in part upon said depth; providing a second set of instructions for administering a second different pressure lowering medication for a second length of time to said at least one eye of said patient, and physically administering the first medication and second different pressure lowering medication based upon the instructions.

An ophthalmic laser surgical system has a built-in imaging sensor for measuring laser focal spot size. An objective lens focuses the laser beam to a focal spot near a reflective surface, scans the focal spot in the depth direction, and focuses light reflected by the reflective surface to form a back-reflected light. A two-dimensional imaging sensor receives a sample of the back-reflected light to generate images of the back-reflected light. During the depth scan, the image contains a well-focused light spot when the laser focal spot is located at a fixed offset distance before the reflective surface, but the light spot in the images is otherwise defocused. The images generated during the scan are analyzed to find the smallest light spot size among the images. The laser focal spot size is then calculated from the smallest light spot size using a magnification factor which is a system constant.

A steerable laser probe may include a handle, and inner bore of the handle, an actuation lever of the handle, a housing tube, and an optic fiber disposed within the inner bore of the handle and the housing tube. The housing tube may have a first housing tube portion having a first stiffness and a second housing tube portion having a second stiffness. The second stiffness may be greater than the first stiffness.