System for enhancing the optical transparency of biological tissue covered by a surface permeability barrier of tissue, involving the delivery of a clarifying agent to the target biological tissue to alter the attenuation characteristics of the target biological tissue.

An ophthalmic instrument for the application of laser radiation in a patient's eye, particularly for the examination and/or surgical laser treatment of the cornea and the lens of the eye, includes a femtosecond laser, an objective and optical assemblies. The optical assemblies are arranged in front of the objective selectively vary the focus position in the coordinate direction X,Y and Z either within the region of the cornea or within the region of the lens of the eye. The objective or at least one lens group is movable relative to the eye. The variation of the position of the lens group or objective shifts the focus position from the cornea to the lens of the eye and vice versa.

A conformable covering comprises an outer portion with rigidity to resist movement on the cornea and an inner portion to contact the cornea and provide an environment for epithelial regeneration. The inner portion of the covering can be configured in many ways so as to conform at least partially to an ablated stromal surface so as to correct vision. The conformable inner portion may have at least some rigidity so as to smooth the epithelium such that the epithelium regenerates rapidly and is guided with the covering so as to form a smooth layer for vision. The inner portion may comprise an amount of rigidity within a range from about 1104 Pa*m3 to about 5104 Pa*m3 so as to deflect and conform at least partially to the ablated cornea and smooth an inner portion of the ablation with an amount of pressure when deflected.

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.

An ophthalmic laser ablation system is described with various optional features, some especially suitable for non-penetrating filtration on an eye. In one example, focusing of an ablation laser uses a movable lens coupled to a pair of converging light sources, which converge at the focal distance of the lens. In another example, laser ablation settings are selected for optimal ablation and minimal amount of thermal damage of a layer of percolating scleral tissue.

A method is disclosed for controlling an eye surgical laser of a treatment apparatus for the separation of a volume body with a predefined posterior interface and a predefined anterior interface from a human or animal cornea. The method includes controlling the laser with a control device of the treatment apparatus such that it emits pulsed laser pulses in a shot sequence in a predefined pattern into the cornea. The interfaces of the volume body to be separated are defined by the predefined pattern and the interfaces are generated by means of an interaction of the individual laser pulses with the cornea by the generation of a plurality of cavitation bubbles. An arc length of the anterior interface and an arc length of the posterior interface are generated of equal length in all radial directions by at least one indentation in one of the interfaces.

Laser assisted cataract surgery methods and devices utilize one or more treatment laser beams to create a shaped opening in the anterior lens capsule of the eye when performing a capsulorrhexis procedure. A light absorbing agent may be applied to the anterior lens capsule to facilitate laser thermal separation of tissue along a treatment beam path on the lens capsule. Relative or absolute reflectance from the eye, and optionally from a surgical contact lens, may be measured to confirm and optionally quantify the presence of the light absorbing agent, before the treatment beam is applied. Such measurements may be used to determine that sufficient light absorbing agent is present in the lens capsule so that transmission of the treatment beam through the capsule will be below a predetermined threshold deemed safe for the retina and other interior portions of the eye, and may also be used to determine that sufficient light absorbing agent is present to result in complete laser thermal separation of the anterior capsule along the treatment beam path. Visualization patterns produced with one or more target laser beams may be projected onto the lens capsule tissue to aid in the capsulorrhexis procedure. In addition or alternatively, virtual visualization patterns may presented on a display integrated with a laser assisted cataract surgery device to aid in the procedure. The visual axis of the eye may be determined, during surgery for example, with a laser beam on which the patient is fixated. The orientation of a toric IOL may be assessed during or after placement by observing the reflection from the back of the eye of a laser beam on which the patient is fixated. The devices disclosed herein may be attached to or integrated with microscopes.

Methods for targeted therapy are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a method includes injecting nanoparticles into a target site in or adjacent to an eye, irradiating the target site with light from a light source, and activating the nanoparticles with the light.

A patient interface for an ophthalmic laser system includes an interface portion and an attachment portion. The interface portion includes a transmissive portion and an interface wall. The transmissive portion allows a laser beam through to the cornea of an eye to perform an ophthalmic procedure. The interface wall is disposed outwardly from the transmissive portion. The attachment portion couples the interface portion to a region of the cornea to allow the laser beam through to the cornea to perform the ophthalmic procedure. The attachment portion also decreases the temperature of the region during the ophthalmic procedure.

A method is disclosed for providing control data for an eye surgical laser of a treatment apparatus for the removal of tissue from a human or animal cornea. The method includes ascertaining a temperature distribution expected in the cornea per laser pulse, and determining, by using a temperature model of the cornea, a laser pulse sequence of a preset laser pulse distribution for removing the tissue. A respective laser pulse position in the cornea is preset by the laser pulse distribution and sequence. A temperature profile of the cornea is calculated by means of cumulated temperature distributions of the laser pulses in the temperature model and a difference profile to a preset limit temperature profile is determined. An order of the laser pulses is ascertained depending on the difference profile for determining the laser pulse sequence, and providing control data for controlling the laser pulse sequence for removing tissue.