EP0402250A2 — Noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 59 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus, comprising: means for generating laser beams; means for projecting said laser beams toward a cornea, said projecting means defining an optical axis, and including: means for converging the laser beams onto the cornea; and axicon optical means for forming the converged laser beams into a plurality of paraxially distributed beam spots on the cornea.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 59 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus, comprising: means for generating laser beams; means for projecting said laser beams toward a cornea, said projecting means defining an optical axis, and including: means for converging the laser beams onto the cornea; and axicon optical means for forming the converged laser beams into a plurality of paraxially distributed beam spots on the cornea.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 25 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said converging means includes condensing lens means for focusing said laser beams on the cornea.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 22 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said axicon optical means includes at least one multiple facet prismatic lens.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 41 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said projecting means include beam expander means for enlarging the radius of said laser beams, and said converging means includes condensing lens means for focusing said laser beams on the cornea.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 25 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said projecting means includes beam expander means for enlarging the radius of said laser beams.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 20 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 5, wherein said beam expander means includes a variable diverging beam expander.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 20 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said generating means includes an infrared pulsed laser beam generator.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 26 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said pulsed laser beam generator comprises an HF an Er-YAG laser, Er/YYSGG, or Holmium/YAG beam source.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 21 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said pulsed laser beam generator comprises an ultra-violet laser beam source.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 31 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the wavelength of beams generated by said infrared pulsed laser beam generator is within about 1.3 µm to about 3.3 µm.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 34 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, further including aiming means for projecting visible light beams onto the cornea at positions substantially coincident with positions to be impinged by said laser beams.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 28 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the optical axis of said aiming means overlaps a portion of the optical axis of said projecting means.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 54 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 11, wherein said aiming means includes a visible laser beam source, and mirror means, obliquely interposed between said generating means and said converging means, for reflecting the visible laser beams emitted by said aiming means and for transmitting the laser beams from said generating means therethrough.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 27 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, including means for adjusting the radial position of said beam spots relative to the apex of the cornea.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 26 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, including means for rotating said oxicon optical means relative to said optical axis of said projecting means.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 20 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, including means for moving said converging means along said optical axis.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 36 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 1, further including mask means for selectively defining at least one light transmissive aperture and at least one opaque aperture in said optical axis of said projecting means.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 80 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claims 17, wherein said mask means includes first and second masks spaced from one another and aligned on said optical axis, each said mask including at least two fan-shaped light transmissive portions which define selected open angles therebetween when viewed along said optical axis, and means for rotating said first and second masks in opposite directions relative one another to selectively adjust said predetermined angles formed between said transparent portions of said masks.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 55 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 17, wherein said mask means includes at least two mask plates each having a wedge portion, and means for moving said wedge portions into and out of said optical axis of said projecting means to selectively block portions of said laser beams emitted by said generating means.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 50 words

The noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus of claim 17, wherein said mask means includes at least two mask plates each having a wedge portion selectively movable into and out of said optical axis of said projecting means, and means for rotating at least one of said masks about said optical axis.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 105 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus, comprising: means for generating laser beams; means for projecting said laser beams toward a cornea, said projecting means defining an optical axis, and including: means for converging the laser beams onto the cornea; conical axicon optical means for forming the converged laser beams into annularly shaped beams; and mask means for selectively blocking a portion of said laser beams and for transmitting the remaining portion of said laser beams to thereby impinge the cornea with said laser beams at selected positions corresponding to said portion of said mask means through which said laser beams are transmitted along said optical axis.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 105 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus, comprising: means for generating laser beams; means for projecting said laser beams toward a cornea, said projecting means defining an optical axis, and including: means for converging the laser beams onto the cornea; conical axicon optical means for forming the converged laser beams into annularly shaped beams; and mask means for selectively blocking a portion of said laser beams and for transmitting the remaining portion of said laser beams to thereby impinge the cornea with said laser beams at selected positions corresponding to said portion of said mask means through which said laser beams are transmitted along said optical axis.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 34 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 21, wherein said mask means forms at least one aperture for passing the laser beams therethrough, and includes means for changing the area of said aperture.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 98 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 22, wherein said mask means includes first and second masks each including two fan-shaped transparent portions and two fan-shaped opaque portions, said transparent portions defining predetermined open angles between the respective edges thereof which correspond to said at least one aperture of said mask means, and said means for changing the area of said at least one aperture includes means for rotatably mounting said masks in said optical axis such that said masks may be rotated independently of one another to vary said open angles defined by said transparent portions.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 26 words

The apparatus of claim 23, including means for rotating said masks in unison to selectively adjust the angular position of said apertures about said optical axis.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 32 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 23, wherein said mask means further includes a third mask having semicircularly-shaped transparent and opaque portions for defining additional patterns of said mask means.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 21 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 25, including means for rotatably mounting said third mask in said optical axis.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 43 words

A noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus as in claim 22, wherein said mask means includes at least two mask plates each having a wedge-shaped end portion, and means for moving said wedge-shaped portions of said mask plates into and out of said optical axis.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 20 words

The apparatus of claim 27, including means for rotating at least one of said wedge-shaped portions about said optical axis.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 74 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for marking a cornea with suture tracks, comprising the steps of: a) generating laser beams of sufficient energy to ablate the tissue of the cornea; b) projecting the laser beams along an optical axis towad the cornea; c) converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; d) forming the converging laser beams into a plurality of paraxially distributed beam spots on the cornea, said beam spots defining the suture tracks.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 74 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for marking a cornea with suture tracks, comprising the steps of: a) generating laser beams of sufficient energy to ablate the tissue of the cornea; b) projecting the laser beams along an optical axis towad the cornea; c) converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; d) forming the converging laser beams into a plurality of paraxially distributed beam spots on the cornea, said beam spots defining the suture tracks.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 42 words

The method of claim 29, wherein the step of forming the converging laser beams into a plurality of paraxially distributed beam spots includes the substep of passing said converging laser beams through a multiple facet prismatic lens disposed in said optical axis.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of claim 30, including the further step of varying the radial position of the beam spots relative to the apex of the cornea.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 33 words

The method of claim 31, wherein the step of varying the radial position of the beam spots includes the substep of selectively moving the multiple facet prismatic axicon lens along the optical axis.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 24 words

The method of claim 29, wherein the cornea being marked comprises a donor corneal button which has been surgically removed from a donor cornea.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 29 words

The method of claim 29, wherein the cornea being marked comprises a recipient cornea which has had the central portion thereof surgically removed to receive a donor corneal button.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 73 words

The method of claim 29, wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed to mark a donor corneal button with a predetermined number of suture tracks, and steps (a)-(d) are repeated to mark a recipient cornea, having the central portion thereof removed, with at least the same predetermined number of suture tracks, the suture tracks marked on said recipient cornea being radially spaced from and aligned with the suture tracks marked on said donor corneal button.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 38 words

The method of claim 35, including the further step of: suturing the donor corneal button into the recipient cornea by passing surgical thread through respective aligned pairs of suture tracks in the donor corneal button and recipient cornea.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 98 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for ablating a cornea at selected positions, comprising the steps of: generating laser beams having sufficient energy to ablate the cornea; projecting said laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging said projected laser beams onto the cornea; forming the converged laser beams into annularly shaped beams; selectively blocking a portion of said laser beams and transmitting the remaining portion of said laser beams along said optical axis to thereby ablate the cornea at selected positions corresponding to the configuration of the portions of said laser beams transmitted along said optical axis.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 98 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for ablating a cornea at selected positions, comprising the steps of: generating laser beams having sufficient energy to ablate the cornea; projecting said laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging said projected laser beams onto the cornea; forming the converged laser beams into annularly shaped beams; selectively blocking a portion of said laser beams and transmitting the remaining portion of said laser beams along said optical axis to thereby ablate the cornea at selected positions corresponding to the configuration of the portions of said laser beams transmitted along said optical axis.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method of claim 37, wherein the step of selectively blocking and transmitting portions of said laser beams includes the substep of inserting a mask means in said optical axis, the mask means having opaque portions corresponding to said blocked portion of said laser beams and transparent portions corresponding to said transmitted portions of said laser beams.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of claim 37, including the step of adjusting the relative sizes of the blocked portion and the transmitted portion of said laser beams.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 70 words

The method of claim 38, wherein the mask means comprises at least first and second masks each including opaque portions and transparent portions, and including the further step of adjusting the relative sizes of the blocked and the transmitted portions of the laser beams by rotating the first and second masks relative to one another to thereby vary the relative sizes of the opaque and transparent portions of the masks.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 35 words

The method of claim 38, including the further step of adjusting the angular positions of the blocked portions and transmitted portions of the laser beams relative to the optical axis by rotating the mask means.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 86 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for alleviating. astigmatism and/or corneal refractive error of an eye, comprising the steps of: generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; impinging the cornea with the laser beams at selected areas for a sufficient time to heat the impinged areas to less than about 100°C to thereby shrink the corneal tissue in the selected areas without causing ablation in said selected areas.

Claim 47

Dependent Claim 86 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for alleviating. astigmatism and/or corneal refractive error of an eye, comprising the steps of: generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; impinging the cornea with the laser beams at selected areas for a sufficient time to heat the impinged areas to less than about 100°C to thereby shrink the corneal tissue in the selected areas without causing ablation in said selected areas.

Claim 48

Dependent Claim 39 words

The method of claim 42, wherein the laser beams are generated with a laser having a wavelength of about 1.3 - 3.3 um, a pulse duration greater than about 200 ns, and an energy flux of about 250 mJ/cm².

Claim 49

Dependent Claim 111 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for surgically attaching a donor corneal button into a recipient cornea, comprising the steps of: placing the donor corneal button in the recipient cornea; generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; impinging the abutting edges of the donor corneal button and the recipient cornea with the converged laser beams for a sufficient time to raise the temperature of the corneal tissue of the abutting edges to between about 60°C - 85°C thereby causing the tissue of the donor button and recipient cornea to adhere to one another.

Claim 50

Dependent Claim 111 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for surgically attaching a donor corneal button into a recipient cornea, comprising the steps of: placing the donor corneal button in the recipient cornea; generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the cornea; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea; impinging the abutting edges of the donor corneal button and the recipient cornea with the converged laser beams for a sufficient time to raise the temperature of the corneal tissue of the abutting edges to between about 60°C - 85°C thereby causing the tissue of the donor button and recipient cornea to adhere to one another.

Claim 51

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method of claim 44, wherein the laser beams are generated with a laser having a pulse duration of greater than about 200 ns, a frequency of about 1.3 - 3.3 um, and an energy flux of about 250 mJ/cm².

Claim 52

Dependent Claim 136 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for surgically attaching a layer of cornea-like tissue onto a recipient cornea, comprising the steps of: placing the layer of the cornea-like tissue onto the recipient cornea; generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the recipient cornea and cornea-like tissue layer; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea-like tissue layer; and impinging the cornea-like tissue layer in selected areas with the converged laser beams for a sufficient time to raise the temperature of the selected areas of the cornea-like tissue layer and the areas of the recipient cornea tissue immediately below the selected areas of the cornea-like tissue layer to between about 60°C - 85°C thereby causing the cornea-like tissue layer to adhere to the recipient cornea in the selected areas.

Claim 53

Dependent Claim 136 words

A non-contact microsurgical method for surgically attaching a layer of cornea-like tissue onto a recipient cornea, comprising the steps of: placing the layer of the cornea-like tissue onto the recipient cornea; generating laser beams having a predetermined energy flux; projecting the laser beams along an optical axis toward the recipient cornea and cornea-like tissue layer; converging the projected laser beams onto the cornea-like tissue layer; and impinging the cornea-like tissue layer in selected areas with the converged laser beams for a sufficient time to raise the temperature of the selected areas of the cornea-like tissue layer and the areas of the recipient cornea tissue immediately below the selected areas of the cornea-like tissue layer to between about 60°C - 85°C thereby causing the cornea-like tissue layer to adhere to the recipient cornea in the selected areas.

Claim 54

Dependent Claim 40 words

The method of claim 46, wherein the laser beams are generated with a laser having a pulse duration of greater than about 200 ns, a frequency of about 1.3 - 3.3 um, and an energy flux of about 250 mJ/cm².

Noncontact laser microsurgical apparatus

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