Laser Cataract Surgery System with Pre-Contact Corneal Topography

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ophthalmic laser surgery systems face challenges in accurately aligning and placing intraocular lenses due to distortions caused by patient interfaces and variations in eye anatomy, leading to less than ideal surgical outcomes and increased costs.

Innovation Solution

The system measures the eye's optical structures without a patient interface, using pre-contact measurements to determine post-contact locations for precise laser incisions, and integrates these measurements with laser treatment parameters to ensure accurate placement of intraocular lenses and minimize distortions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a patient interface is used to contact the eye during laser surgery, then the eye is stabilized for treatment, but distortions are introduced that reduce measurement precision and alignment accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeye stabilizationVSAvoidcorneal topography measurement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs corneal topography measurements before the patient interface contacts the eye, capturing the natural, undistorted corneal shape. These pre-contact measurements are then used to plan and guide the laser treatment, ensuring that the treatment is based on accurate anatomical data before any interface-induced distortions occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a digital copy or map of the corneal topography from pre-contact measurements. This digital representation is then used throughout the surgical planning and execution process, allowing the treatment to be based on the accurate pre-contact anatomy while the physical eye remains stabilized during treatment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If corneal measurements are taken with the patient interface in place, then the treatment can proceed without repositioning, but the measurements are distorted leading to inaccurate laser incision placement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical workflow efficiencyVSAvoidlaser incision placement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

All corneal topography measurements are performed before the patient interface is applied to the eye. This preliminary measurement phase captures the undistorted corneal anatomy, which is then used to plan the laser incisions. The interface is applied afterward for stabilization, eliminating the need to reposition or remeasure while maintaining both efficiency and precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If the eye is distorted by the patient interface during measurement, then the measurement process is simplified, but the alignment of fiducial marks and laser treatment becomes inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement process complexityVSAvoidfiducial mark alignment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs all corneal topography and fiducial mark identification measurements before the patient interface contacts the eye. This ensures that the corneal anatomy and fiducial marks are captured in their natural, undistorted positions. The treatment plan is then generated based on these accurate pre-contact measurements, ensuring precise alignment even though the interface will be applied later for stabilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

This approach improves the accuracy of intraocular lens placement, reduces surgical distortions, and enhances the precision of refractive corrections, leading to better visual outcomes and reduced costs by minimizing alignment errors.

Implementation Method 1

photodisruption induced by a pulsed laser beam... cutting of the cornea and crystalline lens of the eye

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPhotodisruption: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentUS20220273493A1Corneal topography measurements and fiducial mark incisions in laser surgical procedures

Publication Date: 2022.09.01 AMO DEVELOPMENT LLC

AI summary

A method of cataract surgery in an eye of a patient includes identifying a feature selected from the group consisting of an axis, a meridian, and a structure of an eye by corneal topography and forming fiducial mark incisions with a laser beam along the axis, meridian or structure in the cornea outside the optical zone of the eye. A laser cataract surgery system a laser source, a topography measurement system, an integrated optical subsystem, and a processor in operable communication with the laser source, corneal topography subsystem and the integrated optical system. The processor includes a tangible non-volatile computer readable medium comprising instructions to determine one of an axis, meridian and structure of an eye of the patient based on the measurements received from topography measurement system, and direct the treatment beam so as to incise radial fiducial mark incisions.