Method and device for identifying an eye that is to be treated in operations

Abstract

A method for identifying the site of an operation during an operation, in particular using a laser system, with the help of unique data about the operation site. A first copy of the unique data is stored in a laser system, the unique data being located in the vicinity of the operation site and / or directly at said operation site. Before the start of the operation, the first copy and the unique data are compared to verify if they are identical and the result of said verification is forwarded to the laser system. In addition, a device for identifying an operation site during an operation includes a laser system having a storage unit for storing data and a reading unit configured to determine unique data about the operation site and to provide a first copy of the unique data to the storage unit. The device also includes a comparator device operably connected to the storage device and configured to compare the first copy and the unique data for identity.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 399,440, filed Apr. 17, 2003, which is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT / EP01 / 12171, filed Oct. 22, 2001, which claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. 100 52 201.7, filed Oct. 20, 2000, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.BACKGROUND [0002] The present invention relates to a method and a device for identifying an operation site to be treated, in particular an eye, in laser operations. [0003] In laser operations, in particular of an eye, data allowing individual treatment of an eye is required for controlling the laser. This data is usually acquired or determined as patient data; methods such as eyesight testing, refractometer, measuring the topography, for example, of the cornea or of the lens, as well as the aberration of the eye being used for this purpose. This d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for identifying an operation site, in particular an eye, during a laser operation, which prevent the risk of operations of the wrong operation site or eye.

[0009] The present invention provides a method for identifying an operation site during an operation, in particular using a laser system, with the help of unique data about the operation site, a first copy of the unique data being stored in the laser system, the unique data being located in the immediate vicinity of the operation site and / or at the operation site, the first copy and the unique data being checked for their identity before the operation begins, and the result of the identity check being passed on to the laser system. This enables the individual operation site, mainly the eye, to be uniquely identified as the correct one for which the shot positions are provided in the laser. In this way, it is prevented that a patient is treated with incorrect shot data and, thus, that corrections, for example, of his / her eye are made that were calculated for a different patient.

[0017] Moreover, the present invention is achieved by a device for identifying an operation site during an operation, particularly preferrably for carrying out one of the methods according to the present invention, containing a laser system having a storage unit with a storage of unique data about the operation site and a laser unit, the unique data being determinable using the laser unit, a first copy of the unique data being storable in the storage unit, and provision being made for a comparator device which allows the first copy and the unique data to be checked for their identity. Using such a device, it is possible both to acquire unique data using a laser unit, such as a bar code laser or an image sensing unit, and to store this unique data in the form of a copy in the storage unit so that it can later be checked with the unique data using a comparator device.

[0023] It is particularly preferred to recheck the eye correction state shortly before the operation. In this manner, it is in addition possible to prevent double operations of the same eye.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, this can result in an incorrect association between the data set of the correction and the specific eye under operation.

This may be due to the system software used for maintaining the data sets, or else to human failure.

In particular, the right and left eyes of the same patient can easily be confused, even when acting in the most careful manner during data acquisition.

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