Ophthalmic laser system and method for visualizing eye of patient

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (400) for visualizing an eye (12) of a patient by means of a contact element (16) of an ophthalmic laser system (10). The method (400) comprises irradiating (402) a patient eye (12) with visible light and infrared light, and imaging (404) the irradiated patient eye (12) by means of a contact element (16) onto a detector designed to detect visible light and infrared light. The method (400) is characterized in that the method (400) further comprises determining (406) structures in and / or on the patient's eye (12) and / or positions of the structures in and / or on the patient's eye (12) in the detected image of the patient's eye (12) from the detected infrared light, and displaying (408) the image of the patient's eye (12) irradiated with visible light, a structure in and / or on the eye (12) of the patient and / or a position of the structure in and / or on the eye (12) of the patient, which is determined on the basis of the detected infrared light, is identified in the display.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for visualizing a patient's eye using contact elements of an ophthalmic laser system, a control device for an ophthalmic laser system, and an ophthalmic laser system for performing refractive surgery on a patient's eye. Therefore, the embodiments particularly relate to the field of ophthalmic laser systems for refractive surgery. Background Technology

[0002] Refractive surgery is often performed using a method called SMILE (Small Incision Lenticle Extraction). In this procedure, laser radiation, optionally femtosecond laser pulses, detaches the lenticule from the cornea surrounding it, allowing the surgeon to manually remove it. To create the incision using laser radiation, a device patient interface (also called a contact lens) is typically placed in contact with the eye to fix the eye relative to the laser system. This fixation of the contact lens to the eye must be correctly positioned and oriented relative to the patient's cornea to allow for proper treatment. For this purpose, the contact lens is positioned from its initial position into its working position, i.e., in contact with the patient's cornea. The surgeon typically needs to align the midpoint of the contact lens with the planned treatment center of the cornea, ensuring they overlap. Here, the physician is traditionally supported by camera images that image the eye through a contact lens, and by software algorithms that attempt to determine the patient’s pupil based on an image assessment of the camera images, and, if the pupil is successfully identified, provide the physician with location information to aid in centering.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for doctors and software algorithms to identify patients' pupils as early and, especially, accurately.

[0004] Traditionally, two separate irradiation possibilities are offered to the user, i.e., the physician, in the form of two irradiation modes. The first mode, "White Light" (VIS), features a typical white light LED spectrum that produces color-accurate image reproduction. The second irradiation mode, "Infrared Light" (IR), includes a color spectrum within the infrared spectral range.

[0005] Infrared mode enables the pupil to image with very high contrast because even dark irises appear bright under infrared illumination. In contrast, VIS mode, in addition to accurate color reproduction, achieves higher resolution and scattering due to shorter wavelengths in the spectrum.

[0006] Because traditional observation optics typically do not compensate for chromatic aberration across the entire spectral range, the dispersion between white light and infrared illumination is usually non-negligible. This causes the image plane, which produces the sharpest image, to shift to greater depths from white light to infrared light.

[0007] White light mode is traditionally chosen when observing contaminants on the contact lens, the liquid-air boundary (meniscus) at contact with the eye and the contact lens, and / or the cut pattern (bubble formation) produced by laser processing, through a laser objective lens of a laser system.

[0008] However, for pupil recognition, the available illumination methods are limited because, especially in eyes with very dark brown irises, the contrast between the pupil and iris is very low, making recognition difficult. Infrared illumination offers an advantage for pupil recognition because it can display pupil-iris contrast at a higher contrast level for each individual iris color than could be achieved using white light. For this reason, doctors traditionally switch between white light and infrared modes when attempting to center the contact lens relative to the eye.

[0009] For example, DE 10 2010 012 616 A1 describes a laser system that, in addition to being illuminated with visible light, also provides a separate mode for being illuminated with infrared light.

[0010] US 10,888,458 B2 describes a surgical microscope having a camera for visible light and a camera for infrared light. Here, the camera for infrared light is capable of detecting the measurement beam of an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) scan during surgery.

[0011] US 2005 / 0119642 A1 describes a system for detecting and tracking the position of an eye. In this system, different parts of the eye are illuminated with light of different wavelengths, and the position of the eye is determined based on the detected light. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The basic objective of this invention is to provide an ophthalmic laser system suitable for enriching the prior art and a method for visualizing a patient's eye using contact elements.

[0013] The objective is achieved by a method, control apparatus, and ophthalmic laser system having the features of the respective independent claims. Optional embodiments are described in the dependent claims and the specification.

[0014] This invention provides a method for visualizing a patient's eye using a contact element of an ophthalmic laser system. The method includes: illuminating the patient's eye with visible and infrared light, and imaged the illuminated patient's eye onto a detector via a contact element, the detector being designed to detect the visible and infrared light. The method further includes: determining, based on the detected infrared light in the detected image of the patient's eye, the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, optionally including or configured as a pupil and / or iris of the patient's eye; and displaying the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light, wherein the location of the structures within and / or on the patient's eye determined based on the detected infrared light is identified in the display.

[0015] Furthermore, a control device for an ophthalmic laser system is proposed, the ophthalmic laser system having a contact element and at least one light source for illuminating a patient's eye. Here, the control device is designed to: drive at least one light source such that the at least one light source illuminates the patient's eye with visible light and infrared light; and drive a detector of the ophthalmic laser system such that the detector detects the visible light and infrared light in the image of the illuminated patient's eye. Furthermore, the control device is also designed to: determine, based on the detected infrared light, the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye in the image of the patient's eye detected by the detector; and output a signal to a display unit to display the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light, such that the structures within and / or on the patient's eye determined based on the detected infrared light and / or the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye determined based on the detected infrared light are identified in the display.

[0016] Furthermore, an ophthalmic laser system for refractive surgery on a patient's eye is proposed, comprising: at least one light source for illuminating the patient's eye with visible and infrared light; and an optical system and a detector, wherein the optical system is designed to image the illuminating patient's eye onto the detector via a contact element, and wherein the detector is designed to detect visible and infrared light. A control device is designed to determine, based on the detected infrared light in the image of the patient's eye, the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, and / or the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, as determined by the detected infrared light, and to output a signal to a display unit to display the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light, such that the structure within and / or on the patient's eye, and / or the location of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, as determined by the detected infrared light, are identified in the display.

[0017] In this regard, the features and implementations described above and below should not be considered as being disclosed only in the combinations explicitly mentioned, but also include other combinations and implementations that are technically reasonable from the perspective of the disclosure.

[0018] Here, visualization of the patient's eye can include displaying an image of the patient's eye to the physician and / or other user of the ophthalmic laser system. In addition to displaying the image, visualization can also include displaying other content, which can be displayed concurrently with the image display. Optionally, the displayed image can be enriched with additional information, which does not necessarily form part of the image and / or is not directly derived from it. The display of the image can optionally include displaying a hybrid image, wherein the hybrid image can be formed partly from the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light and partly from the image of the patient's eye illuminated with infrared light. Optionally, the hybrid image can consist of a larger energy share from the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light and a smaller share from the image of the patient's eye illuminated with infrared light. Optionally, the energy share of the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light can be approximately 85%, and the share of the image of the patient's eye illuminated with infrared light can be approximately 15%. Optionally, the display of the image can have a different spectral combination than the detected image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light. Optionally, the hybrid image can have a larger share of the red spectrum than the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light. This can create the impression of a reddish discoloration in the patient's eye image for the observer. However, the display can be configured to allow the user to reliably identify all structures important for surgical procedures, such as dust particles, dirt, the meniscus, and / or contact lens reflections on the cornea. The light used to illuminate the patient's eye with visible light can optionally have spectral maxima in the blue and / or green spectral range. An additional spectral component, applied by infrared illumination, can shift the spectral maxima of the mixed image to longer wavelengths, such as into the red spectral range.

[0019] Here, refractive surgery can be performed on a patient's eye using a laser beam to specifically alter the optical properties of the eye. In particular, refractive surgery can be SMILE (Small Incision Lens Extraction), in which a lenticule is cut from the cornea using one or more incisions according to a pattern using a laser beam, and then the lenticule can be surgically removed from the cornea.

[0020] Here, an ophthalmic laser system can be a laser system used to perform surgical procedures on the eyes of humans or animals. An ophthalmic laser system can be referred to as a refractive surgery laser system. An ophthalmic laser system can be designed to perform surgical procedures on a patient's eye by means of a laser beam docked to the laser system. An ophthalmic laser system can be designed to: pass the laser beam through a contact element to perform surgical procedures on the eye by means of the laser beam docked to the contact element. Here, the ophthalmic laser system can have a laser source designed to emit a CW-wave laser beam (i.e., a continuous laser beam) and / or emit a laser beam in the form of a femtosecond laser pulse sequence.

[0021] Here, the contact element can be a patient interface by which the patient's eye to be treated is connected to an ophthalmic laser system. The contact element can be configured to fix the patient's eye relative to the laser system to reduce or eliminate possible relative movement of the patient's eye relative to the laser system during treatment, and vice versa. The contact element can optionally be referred to using the terms "contact lens" and / or "patient interface" commonly used in the art.

[0022] Here, illuminating the patient's eyes with visible and infrared light means shining visible and infrared light into the patient's eyes so as to detect the reflection of incident light on and / or in the patient's eyes within the imaging range.

[0023] Here, imaging the patient's eye, to be illuminated, onto the detector using a contact element means that the object plane at least partially detecting the patient's eye is optically imaged onto the image plane where the detector is arranged. This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to detect the light used to illuminate the patient's eye and the light reflected in and / or on the patient's eye. Imaging using a contact element means that the beam path during imaging extends through the contact element. Optionally, the contact element can have refractive and / or diffractive properties that contribute to or are considered during imaging. Optionally, different focal lengths for visible and infrared light can be achieved using the dispersive optical properties of the contact element. Optionally, the chromatic aberration of the contact element can be used to enable clear imaging of visible light in another object plane in the patient's eye, i.e., a plane different from the visible light. Optionally, visible and infrared light can be imaged at different focal lengths using only the dispersive optical properties of the contact element and / or one or more other optical elements in the imaging beam path. In other words, different focal lengths for visible and infrared light can optionally be provided, partially or solely by means of the optical properties of the contact element.

[0024] Here, the detector's design for detecting visible and infrared light means that the detector can provide a detector signal based on the visible and infrared light falling onto it, which can optionally be further processed electronically. The detector can optionally have a pixel array to detect light imaged onto it. The pixels can be sensitive to both visible and infrared light. Alternatively or additionally, the detector can have multiple individual pixel arrangements, some sensitive to visible light and others sensitive to infrared light. The different pixels can be arranged in an array or in separate arrays.

[0025] Here, determining structures within and / or above the patient's eye (optionally, these structures may include or constitute the pupil and / or iris of the patient's eye) in the detected image can be performed by image evaluation. Here, one or more portions can be determined in the detected image by means of a computer program, these portions being associated with structures within and / or above the patient's eye with at least a predetermined probability. Determining structures within and / or above the patient's eye may optionally include determining the location and / or orientation and / or extension of the structures within and / or above the patient's eye.

[0026] Here, the structures within and / or on the patient's eye can be structural features of the tissues within and / or on the patient's eye and / or elements of the patient's eye that can be detected by means of imaging the patient's eye. Here, the structures within and / or on the patient's eye can have a particularly pronounced contrast with their surrounding environment when illuminated with infrared light, making them particularly well-identifiable when illuminated with infrared light. Optionally, the structures within and / or on the patient's eye can be the iris and / or pupil of the patient's eye, or a portion thereof. Optionally, the structures within and / or on the patient's eye can include the iris and / or pupil of the patient's eye. Here, the iris can appear to have particularly high contrast and / or be particularly well-identifiable when illuminated with infrared light.

[0027] Here, identifying, in the display of an image of a patient's eye illuminated by visible light, structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the pupil and / or iris, and / or the positions of structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the pupil and / or iris, determined based on detected infrared light, means that the image display can be enriched and / or superimposed with information determined based on the detected infrared light. Therefore, the display can include information determined using both detected visible light and detected infrared light.

[0028] The control device can be part of or included in the laser system. The control device can be, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) and / or a computer. The control device may optionally include a processor and data storage, as well as one or more modules for communication with the laser system and / or other components external to the laser system.

[0029] This invention offers the advantage that the display of an image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light, and the identification of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, optionally the iris and / or pupil, can be performed simultaneously and continuously. This provides the advantage that information obtained through both visible light and infrared light illumination can be simultaneously displayed to the physician. In this way, the physician continuously receives a comprehensive image of the current positioning of the contact lens relative to the patient's eye and an improved display of structures within and / or on the patient's eye (optionally, the pupil and / or iris) without having to periodically switch between different illumination modes. This simplifies the operation of ophthalmic laser systems, and particularly the alignment and / or docking of the laser system on the patient's eye. Optionally, this reduces the duration required for the alignment and / or docking process, thereby improving patient tolerance and / or efficiency of the ophthalmic laser system.

[0030] Structures within and / or above the patient's eye may optionally include the pupil and / or iris and / or be present within the pupil and / or iris. This provides the advantage that structures within and / or above the patient's eye exhibit particularly high contrast when illuminated with infrared light, and correspondingly, the location of the iris and / or pupil can be determined with particular reliability. Furthermore, this provides the advantage that determining the accurate location of the iris and / or pupil is crucial in refractive surgical procedures to achieve and / or verify the correct alignment of ophthalmic laser systems or contact lenses relative to the patient's eye.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, structures within and / or on the patient's eye may include intracorneal foreign bodies. Optionally, intracorneal foreign bodies may include grafts, implants (e.g., intraocular lenses), and / or contrast agents used to make incisions visible. Alternatively or additionally, structures within and / or on the patient's eye may include irregularities of the patient's eye, such as scars and / or swelling of the patient's eye tissue. This provides the advantage that such structures within and / or on the eye can create a significant contrast with the surrounding tissues of the eye when illuminated with infrared light.

[0032] Irradiating a patient's eye with visible and infrared light can be performed at least partially simultaneously and optionally completely simultaneously. Here, "completely simultaneous" can mean that infrared light irradiation is performed while the patient's eye is fully irradiated with visible light, and / or vice versa. Optionally, irradiation of the patient's eye with infrared light can completely overlap with irradiation of the patient's eye with visible light in time. This provides the advantage of simultaneously providing the light needed to visualize the patient's eye under visible light and to determine structures within and / or on the patient's eye. This eliminates the need to switch between potentially different light sources for visible and infrared light. Optionally, during simultaneous irradiation with visible and infrared light, spectral range mixing is possible to optimize the planned examination of the object to be examined in the eye. Here, the mixed irradiation spectrum can be adapted according to the object to be observed. Optionally, the spectral combination, particularly the proportion of visible or infrared light, can be implemented to automatically improve or optimize the contrast of the image. Optionally, the ophthalmic laser system can be designed to perform real-time contrast adjustment by means of a variable spectral combination of irradiation light.

[0033] Alternatively, the spectral composition of the irradiated light can be affected in such a way that the beam load on the patient's eyes can be reduced, and optionally, the heat input through the irradiated light to the patient's eyes can be reduced.

[0034] Alternatively, visible light and / or infrared light can be spectrally adapted to the detector used.

[0035] Imaging the patient's eye and / or the patient's eye to be illuminated onto the detector can include spectral filtering, such that visible light is blocked for at least one detected image, and infrared light is blocked for at least another image. This provides the advantage that only one of the two spectral channels, i.e., either visible light or infrared light, can be detected with the same detector. In this way, the measurement signal detected by the detector can be correlated with the corresponding spectral range.

[0036] The detector can have at least one separate color channel for detecting visible light and at least one separate color channel for detecting infrared light. This enables the accurate correlation of the detected intensity or amount of light with the corresponding spectral range when light from both spectral ranges simultaneously strikes the detector. Thus, both types of information can be detected simultaneously. Optionally, the evaluation of the detected image data in the corresponding color channel can be influenced by which object is to be identified. Optionally, the evaluation of the detected image data can assess individual color channels or combinations thereof. Optionally, the display to the patient's eye can be based on individual color channels or combinations thereof.

[0037] Visible light can include white light and optionally cover spectral ranges of 400 nm to 500 nm, optionally 400 nm to 600 nm, and optionally 380 nm to 700 nm. This provides the advantage of enabling true-to-life color display for the eye. White light can optionally have a continuous spectrum. Alternatively, white light can be provided by individual discrete spectral components, such as red, green, and blue light, which together produce a white illumination spectrum. A visible light spectrum of approximately 380 nm to 700 nm provides the advantage of particularly good identification of dust particles on the contact element or at the contact surface between the contact element and the eye, and / or laser cuts produced by a femtosecond laser in the form of a bubble blanket.

[0038] Infrared light can have at least one spectral component in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm, and optionally in the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm. This provides the advantage of enabling high-contrast imaging of structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris, using infrared light within said spectral range. Furthermore, this provides the advantage that infrared light within said spectral range can optionally be detected using the same detector also used for detecting visible light. Optionally, this can be achieved using silicon-based detectors, such as CCD detectors and / or CMOS detectors. Therefore, this provides the advantage that it is not necessary to have multiple different detectors for different spectral ranges.

[0039] Irradiating the patient's eye can be at least partially implemented by alternating between visible and infrared light. Here, the time interval between the start of visible light irradiation and the start of infrared light irradiation is 10 seconds or less, and optionally 1 second or less. This provides the advantage of enabling irradiation with visible and infrared light within very short time intervals. This allows for periodic detection of images using visible and infrared light at short intervals, and correspondingly, continuous detection and updating of both types of information. Therefore, in this way, the patient's eye can be continuously updated based on both types of information without necessarily requiring spectral filtering and / or multiple different detectors.

[0040] Here, image detection by the detector can be synchronized with the illumination of the patient's eye, such that at least one image of the patient's eye under visible light illumination only and at least one image of the patient's eye under infrared light illumination only are detected by the detector. In other words, image detection and illumination can be coordinated to accurately correlate the detected image with the spectral range of the patient's eye being illuminated.

[0041] Imaging the patient's eye onto a detector can be performed such that visible and infrared light have different focal planes on the object side. This provides the advantage that different spectral ranges can be focused or aligned onto different objects within and / or above the patient's eye. Optionally, the dispersion of a contact element can be utilized, which has a higher refractive index for shorter wavelengths, i.e., in the present case, for the visible spectral range, than for longer wavelengths, i.e., in the present case, for the infrared spectral range. This can help achieve a longer focal length for infrared light than for visible light. The focal plane of the visible light can optionally detect at least partially the cornea of ​​the patient's eye. Optionally, the focal plane of the infrared light can optionally detect at least partially structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris. Therefore, this provides the advantage that different regions of the patient's eye are clearly imaged for spectral ranges in which information is collected primarily by means of the corresponding spectral range by means of the illumination light.

[0042] Optionally, the different focal planes can be at least partially and optionally entirely based on the chromatic aberration of the contact element. This provides the advantage that different focal planes can be achieved using the optical properties of the contact element. It also provides the advantage that, optionally, other optical elements and / or adapters for providing different focal planes are not necessarily required. The chromatic aberration of the contact element can be adapted such that the focal plane of visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye, and / or the focal plane of infrared light at least partially detects structures within and / or above the patient's eye. Therefore, optionally, different focal lengths or focal planes for visible and infrared light can be achieved using the dispersive optical properties of the contact element. Optionally, the chromatic aberration of the contact element can be used to enable clear imaging of visible light in another object plane within the patient's eye, i.e., a plane different from the visible light. Optionally, imaging of visible and infrared light at different focal lengths can be achieved using only the dispersive optical properties of the contact element and / or one or more other optical elements in the imaging beam path. In other words, the different focal lengths of visible and infrared light can optionally be provided, partially or entirely, by means of the optical properties of the contact element. Optionally, the refractive and / or diffractive properties of the contact element can be used to provide different focal lengths for visible and infrared light.

[0043] Alternatively, the optical system can be configured such that all light travels from the object plane to the image plane.

[0044] At least one light source can have at least one first light source for providing only visible light and / or a second light source for providing only infrared light. This provides the advantage that the two light sources can be precisely coordinated to their respective spectral ranges. Furthermore, this provides the advantage that selective activation and / or deactivation of illumination with visible or infrared light can be simplified and can be achieved independently of each other.

[0045] The first light source can have a light-emitting diode (LED) designed to emit white light and / or provide multiple emission wavelengths in the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm. Alternatively, the first light source can be designed to provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm.

[0046] The second light source can have a light-emitting diode (LED) designed to provide spectral components in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm, and optionally 700 nm to 800 nm. Alternatively or additionally, the second light source can be designed to provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm, and optionally 700 nm to 1000 nm.

[0047] Optionally, at least one light source can have at least one broadband spectral source designed to provide both visible and infrared light. In other words, the light source can be designed to have such a broadband emission spectrum that both visible and infrared light can be provided by the source. Optionally, a spectral filter can be used to spectrally isolate only visible light or only infrared light and use it as illumination light when needed. Alternatively or additionally, when needed, the eye can be illuminated with both visible and infrared light, and the light reflected from the eye and imaged onto the detector can be spectrally filtered.

[0048] The optical system can include a camera. Here, a detector can be part of the camera. Optionally, the camera can be a digital camera, i.e., a camera that performs image detection by means of an electronic detector. The detector can optionally be configured as a CMOS or CCD array, or include such an array. Optionally, the camera and / or detector can be integrated into the confocal image detection system of an ophthalmic laser system.

[0049] The optical system can be configured such that visible light and infrared light have different focal planes on the object side. Optionally, the focal plane of the visible light can at least partially detect the cornea of ​​the patient's eye, and / or the focal plane of the infrared light can at least partially detect structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris. This provides the advantage that different spectral ranges of the illumination light can be focused onto structures of the patient's eye that are to be identified by illuminating them with illumination light of the corresponding spectral range.

[0050] The optical system can include a contact element for connecting a patient's eye to an ophthalmic laser system. The contact element can also be referred to as a contact lens and corresponds to conventional contact lenses known in the prior art. The contact element, and optionally its optical elements, can optionally be made of glass or other optically transparent materials, such as plastics like PMMA. Optionally, the contact element can have normal dispersion, meaning its refractive index is higher for shorter wavelengths than for longer wavelengths. Accordingly, the contact element can have a higher refractive index for visible light than for infrared light. This can cause the visible light to be clear or focused in a different object plane than the infrared light when focused on a detector. According to normal dispersion, the clearest plane for infrared light can be farther from the detector than the clearest plane for visible light. Therefore, the dispersive characteristics of the contact element can facilitate clear imaging of the patient's cornea with visible light and clear imaging of structures within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris or pupil, with infrared light.

[0051] Optionally, the ophthalmic laser system may have one or more spectral filters. The spectral filters can be used to spectrally filter a portion of the light incident on the eye and / or a portion of the light imaged from the eye onto a detector. Optionally, the spectral filters can be configured to: transmit infrared light and reflect and / or absorb visible light, or vice versa. The spectral filters may optionally include stained glass filters and / or interference filters, or be configured as one of these filter types. The ophthalmic laser system may optionally be designed to move one or more spectral filters, and may optionally arrange the filters in the beam path for spectrally filtering light when needed, or remove them from the beam path.

[0052] Ophthalmic laser systems can also include femtosecond lasers for performing refractive surgery on patients' eyes. Optionally, ophthalmic laser systems can be designed to perform SMILE refractive surgery on patients' eyes, in which lenticules are removed from the patient's eye by means of femtosecond laser pulses attached to the laser system via contact elements.

[0053] Optionally, the identification of structures within and / or on the patient's eye, optionally the iris and / or pupil, can be performed at least partially automatically, for example, by means of a computer-implemented method. Optionally, the control device can be designed to perform the identification of structures within and / or on the patient's eye in the detected image data. This can reduce the workload of physicians or ophthalmic laser system operators.

[0054] Optionally, the display of an image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light is performed such that no further preprocessing of the detected image data is performed, except for identifying the locations of structures within and / or above the patient's eye as determined by infrared light. This provides the advantage of displaying the image very quickly, i.e., with a very small time delay relative to the detection of the image, and correspondingly, optionally, real-time display of the image is possible, i.e., the time delay between the detection of the image by the detector and the display of the image is imperceptible to the user. Optionally, the image data based on the detected image can be fed in parallel with the display of the image to automated further processing and / or evaluation, which can optionally be performed by means of one or more image processing algorithms. This provides the advantage of automatically obtaining additional information from the image in addition to displaying the image with the identified structures.

[0055] Optionally, the energy share of imaging of a patient's eye is approximately 85% when illuminated with visible light, and approximately 15% when illuminated with infrared light.

[0056] Optionally, the method further includes adapting the spectral combination by adjusting the proportions of visible and / or infrared light, thereby improving or optimizing the contrast of the image. The adapted spectral combination may optionally include real-time contrast adjustment based on changes in the spectral combination of the illumination light.

[0057] Optionally, image evaluation can be used to determine the location of structures within and / or above the patient's eye based on the detected infrared light in the detected image of the patient's eye. Image evaluation can be performed using a computer program and may optionally include identifying one or more portions in the detected image that can be associated with the location of structures within and / or above the patient's eye with at least a predetermined probability.

[0058] Determining structures within and / or above the patient's eye can include determining the location and / or orientation and / or extension of structures within and / or above the patient's eye.

[0059] All disclosures provided for the method are also considered disclosures of the control equipment and ophthalmic laser systems, and vice versa. Attached Figure Description

[0060] Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings, further details and advantages will be explained in more detail according to the following examples and alternative embodiments.

[0061] The attached diagram shows: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an ophthalmic laser system according to an alternative implementation is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a contact element according to an alternative embodiment is shown; Figure 3 A method for execution via a control device is shown according to an alternative implementation. Figure 4 A method for visualizing a patient's eye using a contact element of an ophthalmic laser system, according to an alternative embodiment, is illustrated. Figures 5A-7C The images of a patient's eye illuminated with light of different spectral ranges are shown in comparison.

[0062] In the following figures, for the sake of simplicity, the same or similar elements in different embodiments are indicated by the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0063] Figure 1 An ophthalmic laser system 10 for performing refractive surgery on the eye 12 of a patient 14, according to an alternative embodiment, is illustrated schematically. The ophthalmic laser system 10 may also be referred to as a refractive surgery laser system. The eye 12 may also be referred to herein as the patient's eye.

[0064] The laser system 10 has a contact element 16, by means of which the laser system 10 can be positioned to the patient's eye 12. For this purpose, the patient 14 is positioned flat on the bed 15 according to the illustrated embodiment, with their line of sight oriented upwards, and the laser system 10 can be positioned to the patient's eye 12 by means of the contact element 16 (see also...). Figure 2 12. Vertically contact and fix the patient's eyes from above.

[0065] Furthermore, the laser system 10 has a femtosecond laser 17 integrated into the laser system 10. Here, the laser beam provided by the femtosecond laser 17 is used to perform refractive surgery on the patient's eye 12 of the patient 14, and can be applied to the eye 12 through the contact element 16.

[0066] Optionally, the laser system 10 includes a display unit 18, by which a display of the patient's eye 12 to be treated can be shown to a user of the laser system 10, such as a doctor. This display can be provided by a confocal image detection system 19. This confocal image detection system can have a camera with a detector and can be designed and arranged such that an image of the patient's eye 12 can be detected through the contact element 16.

[0067] Furthermore, the laser system 10 may optionally include a planning device 20 according to an alternative embodiment, the planning device being designed to provide control data for generating an incision pattern for refractive surgery on the eye 12 docked at a contact element of the ophthalmic laser system. The control data may then optionally be provided to a control device 22 of the laser system 10, which in turn causes the laser system 10 to generate one or more incisions in the eye 12 according to the incision pattern provided by means of the control data.

[0068] The ophthalmic laser system 10 specifically features an interface for connecting the contact element 16 to the ophthalmic laser system 10, allowing the laser beam of the ophthalmic laser system to be coupled into the contact element. Furthermore, the ophthalmic laser system includes a scanning device 24 for moving the focal point of the laser beam within a predetermined volume region. Here, the movement of the focal point can be performed in the x, y, and z directions, as by... Figure 1 An exemplary coordinate system is shown in the figure. Here, the confocal image detection system 19 of the ophthalmic laser system is used to detect optical images via the coupled contact element 16.

[0069] The ophthalmic laser system 10 is designed to measure the thickness of the contact element 16 connected to the interface using a scanning device 24 and a confocal image detection system 19, and to determine the characteristics of the connected contact element 16 based on the measured thickness. Determining the characteristics of the connected contact element 16 may include determining the configuration of the connected contact element 16.

[0070] An ophthalmic laser system can include at least one light source 26 for illuminating a patient's eye with visible and infrared light. Furthermore, the ophthalmic laser system 10 includes an optical system and a detector, wherein the optical system is designed to image the illuminating patient's eye 12 onto the detector via a contact element 16, and wherein the detector is designed to detect visible and infrared light. The optical system and detector can be implemented in the form of a confocal image detection system.

[0071] Here, the control device 22 of the ophthalmic laser system 10 is designed to determine, based on the image detected by the detector and the detected infrared light in the detected image of the patient's eye 12, the structures within and / or on the patient's eye, optionally the pupil and / or iris, and / or the positions of the structures within and / or on the patient's eye, optionally the positions of the pupil and / or iris. Furthermore, the control device is designed to output signals to the display unit 18 to display the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated with visible light, such that the structures within and / or on the patient's eye and / or the positions of the structures within and / or on the patient's eye, determined based on the detected infrared light, are identified in the display.

[0072] The optical system can be configured such that visible light and infrared light have different focal planes on the object side. The focal plane of visible light can at least partially detect the cornea of ​​the patient's eye, while the focal plane of infrared light can at least partially detect structures in and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris of the patient's eye.

[0073] The optical system may include a contact element 16 for connecting the patient's eye 12 to the ophthalmic laser system 10.

[0074] Figure 2 A contact element 16 with two light sources 26a and 26b is schematically shown. The contact element 16 also has an optical element 28 that forms the body of the contact lens 16 and facilitates imaging of the patient's eye 12 onto a detector. At least one light source 26 can have at least one first light source 26a for providing only visible light and / or a second light source 26b for providing only infrared light. The light sources 26a and 26b are arranged in and / or at the contact element 16 according to the illustrated embodiment. According to other alternative embodiments, the light sources can be incorporated in and / or at another element of the ophthalmic laser system 10.

[0075] The first light source 26a is capable of having a light-emitting diode (LED) designed to emit white light and / or provide multiple emission wavelengths in the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm, and / or provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm.

[0076] The second light source 26b is capable of having a light-emitting diode (LED) designed to provide spectral components in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm and optionally 700 nm to 800 nm, and / or to provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm and optionally 700 nm to 1000 nm.

[0077] Alternatively or additionally, at least one light source 26 may have at least one broadband spectral light source designed to provide visible and infrared light.

[0078] The optical system can include a camera, and the detector can be formed as part of the camera. The optical system and detector can optionally be implemented using a confocal image detection system 19.

[0079] Here, the optical system and contact elements can be designed such that visible light is clearly imaged onto the detector in the first focal plane 100, and infrared light is clearly imaged onto the detector from the second focal plane 102. Here, the second focal plane 102 can be farther from the detector than the first focal plane 100. The different focal planes can be caused by the dispersion of the contact element 16.

[0080] The control device 19 can also be connected to the confocal image detection system 19 to control the confocal image detection system and / or receive images detected by the confocal image detection system.

[0081] Control device 22 can be designed to perform the following reference Figure 3 The steps described: Drive 302 to at least one light source 26 such that at least one light source 26 illuminates the patient's eye 12 with visible light and infrared light.

[0082] The detector of the 304 ophthalmic laser system 10 is driven so that the detector detects the visible and infrared light of the image of the patient's eye 12 being irradiated.

[0083] Based on the detected infrared light, determine the location of the structure 306 in and / or above the patient's eye 12, optionally the pupil and / or iris, and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the location of the pupil and / or iris.

[0084] The display unit 18 outputs a 308 signal to display an image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by visible light, such that structures in and / or on the patient's eye and / or the location of structures in and / or on the patient's eye as determined by the detected infrared light are identified in the display.

[0085] The ophthalmic laser system 10 can be designed to perform the following reference Figure 4 Explanation of method 400 according to an alternative implementation.

[0086] Figure 4 A method 400 for visualizing a patient's eye 12 using a contact element 16 of an ophthalmic laser system 10 is illustrated in schematic form.

[0087] The method 400 includes irradiating the patient's eyes 12 with visible and infrared light in step 402.

[0088] In step 404, method 400 includes imaging the patient’s eye 12 to be irradiated onto a detector using a contact element 16, the detector being designed to detect visible and infrared light.

[0089] In addition, method 400 includes in step 406 determining, based on the detected infrared light, the location of structures in and / or on the patient's eye 12 and / or the location of structures in and / or on the patient's eye, optionally the pupil and / or iris.

[0090] Furthermore, the method includes, in step 408, displaying an image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated with visible light, wherein the location of structures within and / or above the patient's eye, determined based on detected infrared light, is identified in the display.

[0091] Irradiating the patient's eye 12 with visible and infrared light can be performed at least partially simultaneously and optionally completely simultaneously. Irradiating the patient's eye 12 and / or imaging the irradiated patient's eye 12 onto the detector can include spectral filtering, such that visible light is blocked for at least one detected image, and infrared light is blocked for at least one additional image.

[0092] The detector is capable of having at least one separate color channel for detecting visible light and at least one separate color channel for detecting infrared light.

[0093] Visible light can include white light and optionally cover a spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm, optionally 400 nm to 600 nm, and optionally 380 nm to 700 nm. Infrared light can have at least one spectral component in a spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm and optionally in a spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm.

[0094] The irradiation of patient 402's eyes 12 can be at least partially implemented such that the eyes are alternately irradiated with visible light and infrared light, wherein the time interval between the start of irradiation with visible light and the start of irradiation with infrared light is 10 seconds or less, and optionally 1 second or less.

[0095] Image detection by the detector can optionally be synchronized with the illumination of the patient's eye 12, such that at least one image of the patient's eye 12 under visible light illumination only and at least one image of the patient's eye 12 under infrared light illumination only are detected by the detector.

[0096] Imaging the patient's eye 12 to be illuminated onto the detector can be implemented such that the visible light and infrared light have focal planes that are different from each other on the object side. The focal plane of the visible light can at least partially detect the cornea of ​​the patient's eye 12, and / or the focal plane of the infrared light can at least partially detect the structures of the patient's eye 12 within and / or above the patient's eye, optionally the iris of the patient's eye 12.

[0097] Figures 5A to 5C An illustrative display is shown of an image of a patient's eye 12 formed by illuminating it with light of different spectral ranges using a contact element.

[0098] Here, Figure 5A An image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated with visible light is shown. Here, the patient's eye is identified in great detail and optionally in true color reproduction; however, optionally in dark tinting, the iris 30 can only stand out from the pupil 32 with very low contrast, making the pupil 32 difficult to identify.

[0099] Figure 5B To illustrate this comparison, a display showing the image of a patient's eye 12 illuminated with infrared light is presented. Here, even with dark tinting, the iris 30 exhibits a very high contrast relative to the pupil 32, facilitating the identification of the pupil 32 in the display. However, in this display, the patient's eye 12 cannot be observed with true color reproduction. Furthermore, the identification of some details becomes difficult (see, for example...). Figure 7B ).

[0100] Figure 5C A display showing an image of a patient's eye 12 illuminated by visible light is provided, wherein structures within and / or above the patient's eye, and / or the location of structures within and / or above the patient's eye (in this case, the iris 30), determined based on detected infrared light, are identified in the display. In other words, the display of the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by visible light includes information about the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by infrared light. This provides the advantage that the iris 30 or pupil 32 can be reliably identified due to high contrast, and the advantages of the display of the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by visible light can also be utilized. Furthermore, it is advantageous that the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by visible light has maximum clarity in a plane of the cornea, while the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated by infrared light has maximum clarity in the plane of the iris 30. This can optionally be achieved using the dispersion characteristics or chromatic aberration of the contact element 16.

[0101] Figures 6A to 6C Similar to Figures 5A to 5C An exemplary illustration shows an image of the patient's eye 12 formed by illuminating the contact element 16 with light of different spectral ranges during the period when the contact element 16 is close to the patient's eye. For this purpose, a reflection 500, recognizable in the display on the underside of the contact element 16, can be used, which can be aligned relative to the patient's eye 12 for positioning the contact element 16. Here, Figure 6A Corresponding to visible light, Figure 6B Corresponding to infrared light, Figure 6C Corresponding to the mixed image, the display of the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated with visible light includes information on the image of the patient's eye 12 illuminated with infrared light. Here, according to Figure 6C The display of the mixed image again provides the user with the advantage of illuminating the patient's eye with two spectral ranges 12.

[0102] Figures 7A to 7C An exemplary portion of a display based on an image of a patient's eye 12 irradiated with light of different spectral ranges via contact element 16 is shown, illustrating a "bubble blanket" resulting from refractive surgery on the patient's eye 12. Here, the bubble blanket is a flat incision created by a laser beam, through which lenticule-like tissue to be detached from the cornea is separated from the surrounding corneal tissue. It can be recognized that the details of the bubble blanket are significantly better discernible in the case of visible light irradiation and in the case of a mixed image (where the display of the image of the patient's eye 12 irradiated with visible light includes information on the image of the patient's eye 12 irradiated with infrared light).

[0103] List of reference numerals

[0104] 10 Ophthalmic Laser Systems

[0105] 12 patients' eyes

[0106] 14 patients

[0107] 15 beds

[0108] 16 Contact elements

[0109] 17 Femtosecond Lasers

[0110] 18 display units

[0111] 19 Confocal Image Detection System

[0112] 20. Planned Equipment

[0113] 22 Control Unit

[0114] 24 Scanning device

[0115] 25 Interfaces

[0116] Light sources 26, 26a, and 26b

[0117] 28 Optical Components

[0118] 30 Iris

[0119] 32 pupils

[0120] 100 Focal plane of visible light

[0121] 102 Focal plane of infrared light

[0122] 302-306 Method and Steps

[0123] 400 Methods for visualizing a patient's eye using contact elements of an ophthalmic laser system

[0124] 402-408 Method and Steps

[0125] 500 Reflection of contact element.

Claims

1. A method (400) for visualizing a patient's eye (12) using a contact element (16) of an ophthalmic laser system (10), the method (400) comprising: - Irradiate the patient's eyes (12) with visible and infrared light (402); -The patient's eye (12) being irradiated is imaged (404) onto a detector by means of the contact element (16), the detector being designed to detect the visible light and the infrared light; The method (400) is characterized in that it further includes: -Based on the detected infrared light, determine (406) the location of structures in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or above the patient's eye (12) in the detected image of the patient's eye (12); - Display (408) the image of the patient's eye (12) illuminated by the visible light, wherein the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) as determined by the detected infrared light are identified in the display.

2. The method (400) of claim 1, wherein The imaging of the patient’s eye (12) being irradiated onto the detector is performed such that the visible light and the infrared light have focal planes (100, 102) that are different from each other on the object side.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The focal planes, which are different from each other, are produced at least partially and optionally entirely based on the chromatic difference of the contact elements (16).

4. The method (400) of claim 2 or 3, wherein, The focal plane (100) of the visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye (12), and / or wherein the focal plane (102) of the infrared light at least partially detects the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12).

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The color difference of the contact element (16) is adapted such that the focal plane (100) of the visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye (12), and / or wherein the focal plane (102) of the infrared light at least partially detects the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12).

6. The method (400) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The energy share of the image formed by illuminating the patient's eye with visible light is approximately 85%, and the energy share of the image formed by illuminating the patient's eye with infrared light is approximately 15%.

7. The method (400) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: The contrast of the image is improved or optimized by adapting the proportions of the visible light and / or the infrared light to the spectral combination.

8. The method (400) according to claim 7, wherein, The adaptation of the spectral combination includes real-time contrast adjustment of the spectral combination based on changes in the illumination light.

9. The method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, By means of imaging assessment, the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) can be determined (406) in the detected image of the patient's eye (12) based on the detected infrared light.

10. The method (400) according to claim 9, wherein, The imaging assessment is performed by means of a computer program, and the imaging assessment includes determining one or more portions of the detected imaging that are associated with the structure in and / or on the patient's eye and / or the location of the structure in and / or on the patient's eye (12) with at least a predetermined probability.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Determining the structure within and / or above the patient's eye includes determining the location and / or orientation and / or extension of the structure within and / or above the patient's eye.

12. The method (400) according to claim 11, wherein, The structures in and / or on the patient’s eye (12) include one or more of the following elements: pupil (32), iris (30), corneal foreign bodies, and irregularities in the tissue of the patient’s eye (12).

13. The method (400) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The irradiation (402) of the patient's eye (12) by the visible light and the infrared light is performed at least partially simultaneously and optionally completely simultaneously, preferably completely simultaneously.

14. The method (400) according to claim 13, wherein, Irradiation of the patient's eye (12) and / or imaging of the irradiated patient's eye (12) onto the detector includes spectral filtering, thereby blocking the visible light for at least one detected image and blocking the infrared light for at least one additional image.

15. The method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The detector has at least one separate color channel for detecting the visible light and at least one separate color channel for detecting the infrared light.

16. The method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The visible light includes white light, and the visible light optionally covers a spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm, optionally 400 nm to 600 nm, and optionally 380 nm to 700 nm.

17. The method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The infrared light has at least one spectral component in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm and optionally in the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm.

18. The method (400) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The irradiation (402) of the patient's eye (12) is performed at least in part such that the irradiation (402) is performed alternately using the visible light and the infrared light, wherein the time interval between the start of the irradiation using the visible light and the start of the irradiation using the infrared light is 10 seconds or less, and optionally 1 second or less.

19. The method (400) according to claim 18, wherein, Image detection by means of the detector is synchronized with the illumination (402) of the patient's eye (12) such that at least one image of the patient's eye (12) under the condition of illumination with only visible light is detected by means of the detector, and an image of the patient's eye (12) under the condition of illumination with only infrared light is detected by means of the detector.

20. A control device (22) for an ophthalmic laser system (10), the ophthalmic laser system having a contact element (16) and at least one light source (26) for irradiating a patient's eye (12), wherein, The control device (22) is designed to perform the following steps: - Drive (302) the at least one light source (26) such that the at least one light source (26) illuminates the patient's eye (12) with visible light and infrared light. - Drive (304) the detector of the ophthalmic laser system (10) so that the detector detects the visible light and the infrared light of the image of the patient's eye (12) being irradiated; The control device (22) is characterized in that it is further designed to perform the following steps: -Based on the detected infrared light, determine (306) the location of structures in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or above the patient's eye (12) in the image detected by the detector; - Output (308) signal to display unit (18) to display the image of the patient's eye (12) illuminated by the visible light, such that the structure in and / or on the patient's eye (12) determined by the detected infrared light and / or the position of the structure in and / or on the patient's eye (12) determined by the detected infrared light are identified in the display.

21. An ophthalmic laser system (10) for performing refractive surgery on a patient's eye (12), the ophthalmic laser system (10) comprising: - At least one light source (26) for illuminating the patient's eye (12) with visible and infrared light. - An optical system and a detector, wherein the optical system is designed to image the patient's eye (12) being illuminated onto the detector by means of a contact element (16), and wherein the detector is designed to detect the visible light and the infrared light; and -Control device (22); The control device (22) is characterized in that it is designed for: -Based on the detected infrared light, determine the location of structures within and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or above the patient's eye (12) in the detected image; and - Output a signal to the display unit (18) to display the image of the patient's eye (12) illuminated by the visible light, such that the structure in and / or on the patient's eye (12) determined by the detected infrared light and / or the position of the structure in and / or on the patient's eye (12) determined by the detected infrared light are identified in the display.

22. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 21, wherein, The optical system is designed such that the imaging of the patient’s eye (12) onto the detector is implemented such that the visible light and the infrared light have focal planes (100, 102) that are different from each other on the object side.

23. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 22, wherein, The optical system is designed to produce focal planes that are at least partially and optionally entirely based on the chromatic aberration of the contact elements (16).

24. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 22 or 23, wherein, The optical system is designed such that the focal plane (100) of the visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye (12), and / or wherein the focal plane (102) of the infrared light at least partially detects the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12).

25. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 23 or 24, wherein, The chromatic aberration of the contact element (16) is adapted such that the focal plane (100) of the visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye (12), and / or wherein, The focal plane (102) of the infrared light at least partially detects the structure of the patient's eye (12) within and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the position of the structure within and / or above the patient's eye (12).

26. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is designed such that the energy share of the image of the patient's eye illuminated with visible light is about 85% and the energy share of the image of the patient's eye illuminated with infrared light is about 15%.

27. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is also designed to improve or optimize the contrast of the imaging by adapting the spectral combination by adapting the proportions of the visible light and / or the infrared light.

28. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 27, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is also designed to enable the adaptation of the spectral combination to include real-time contrast adjustment of the spectral combination based on changes in the illumination light.

29. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is also designed to, by means of imaging assessment, determine (406) the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye (12) in a detected image of the patient's eye (12) based on the detected infrared light.

30. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 29, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is also designed to perform the imaging assessment by means of a computer program, and the imaging assessment includes determining one or more portions of the detected images that are associated with the location of the structures in and / or on the patient's eye and / or in and / or on the patient's eye (12) with at least a predetermined probability.

31. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 30, wherein, The ophthalmic laser system (10) is also designed such that the determination of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye includes determining the position and / or orientation and / or extension of the structure in and / or above the patient's eye.

32. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 31, wherein, The at least one light source (26) has at least one first light source (26a) for providing only visible light and / or at least one second light source (26b) for providing only infrared light.

33. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 32, wherein, The first light source (26a) has a light-emitting diode designed to emit white light and / or provide multiple emission wavelengths in the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm, and / or provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 400 nm to 500 nm and optionally 400 nm to 600 nm.

34. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 32 or 33, wherein, The second light source (26b) has a light-emitting diode designed to provide spectral components in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm and optionally in the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm, and / or to provide an emission spectrum covering the spectral range of 700 nm to 800 nm and optionally in the spectral range of 700 nm to 1000 nm.

35. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 34, wherein, The at least one light source (26) has at least one broadband spectral light source designed to provide the visible light and the infrared light.

36. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 35, wherein, The optical system includes a camera, and the detector forms part of the camera.

37. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 36, wherein, The optical system is configured such that the visible light and the infrared light have different focal planes (100, 102) on the object side.

38. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to claim 37, wherein, The focal plane (100) of the visible light at least partially detects the cornea of ​​the patient's eye (12), and / or wherein the focal plane (102) of the infrared light at least partially detects the structure of the patient's eye (12) within and / or above the patient's eye (12) and / or the location of the structure within and / or above the patient's eye (12).

39. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 38, wherein, The optical system includes a contact element (16) for connecting the patient's eye (12) to the ophthalmic laser system (10).

40. The ophthalmic laser system (10) according to any one of claims 21 to 39 further includes a femtosecond laser (17) for performing the refractive surgery on the patient's eye (12).

Images