Corneal Incision Control via Focused Pulsed Laser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating corneal incisions in ophthalmic surgeries are invasive and require mechanical scalpel use, limiting the precision and minimally invasive options for accessing the eye's interior.
Innovation Solution
A device utilizing focused pulsed laser radiation with a control system to create continuous slit-shaped cuts from the rear to the front surface of the cornea, allowing for precise control of the incision's cross-sectional profile and length, enabling minimally invasive access to the eye's interior with the option to complete the cut mechanically if necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical scalpels are used to create corneal incisions, then continuous cuts can be produced, but the procedure becomes invasive and tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scalpel cutting system with a laser-based photodisruption system. The laser creates cuts through optical breakdown and cavitation bubbles rather than mechanical contact, eliminating the harmful mechanical tissue damage while still achieving continuous incisions through sequential photodisruption events along the desired cut path.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser operates in pulsed mode with specific pulse durations (e.g., nanosecond to picosecond ranges) to create periodic photodisruption events along the cut path. This periodic energy delivery allows the formation of a continuous cut through accumulated cavitation bubbles and plasma channels, maintaining ease of creating continuous cuts while reducing tissue damage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If laser photodisruption is used to create corneal incisions, then tissue damage is reduced, but the ability to create precise cross-sectional profiles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of the laser focus position, pulse duration, and energy delivery timing to precisely sculpt the cross-sectional profile of the incision. By adjusting these parameters during the cutting process, the system can create varying depths and shapes (e.g., arcuate, radial, sector incisions) while maintaining minimal tissue damage through photodisruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key laser parameters including pulse duration, energy density, and focal depth to achieve precise cross-sectional profiles. By modulating these parameters, the laser can create different incision geometries (surface vs. full-depth, varying widths) while maintaining the photodisruption mechanism that minimizes tissue damage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If focused laser radiation is used to create photodisruption, then the cut is spatially confined to the focus area, but the complexity of controlling the cut path increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces optical scanning components (galvanometer mirrors, acousto-optic deflectors, or spatial light modulators) as intermediaries between the laser source and the cornea. These devices precisely control the movement of the laser focus along the desired cut path, maintaining spatial confinement of photodisruption while managing the complexity through well-established optical scanning technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser system is designed with multi-functional capabilities including automatic focus tracking, adaptive optics for compensating corneal curvature, and programmable scan patterns. This universality allows the same system to create various incision types (arcuate, radial, sector, flaps) and manage the control complexity through integrated software control and standardized optical components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise, minimally invasive corneal incisions that facilitate access to the eye's interior, promoting self-sealing and reducing tissue damage, while allowing for flexible incision patterns and lengths tailored to specific surgical needs.
Implementation Method 1
The so-called laser-induced optical breakthrough is used as a physical effect for the generation of cuts by means of focused laser radiation in transparent material (transparent for the laser radiation). This leads to local evaporation of the irradiated material, which is referred to as photodisruption.
Implementation Method 2
This leads to local evaporation of the irradiated material, which is referred to as photodisruption.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for producing at least one continuous slit-shaped cut (42) from the rear surface (48) to the front surface (46) of the cornea (44) of a human eye, comprising a laser device for producing at least one part of the cut using focused pulsed laser radiation, wherein the laser device comprises controllable components for setting the location of the focus, a control computer for controlling said components, and a control program for the control computer. The control program contains instructions, which are designed to cause the creation of at least one part of the cut (42) starting from the rear surface (48) of the cornea when said instructions are executed by the control computer, wherein the cross-sectional course of the cut - observed in the direction from the front surface to the rear surface, deviates from a straight line (60) perpendicular to the eye surface. According to a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional course of the cut has several straight-line sections (50, 52, 54), which follow each other in the manner of a zig-zag pattern and each pair of which is separated by a kink (56, 58).