Laser-Induced Protection Shield for Retinal Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser ophthalmic surgery systems using long pulse duration lasers often deliver low average power, posing a low risk of thermal or photic injury to the retina, but high repetition rate lasers can inadvertently damage sensitive tissues due to residual light, necessitating effective protection measures.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for protecting sensitive tissues by determining a protection region between the surgical target and photosensitive tissues, applying preliminary laser pulses to form a protection barrier, and then delivering surgical laser pulses, using parameters that estimate damage and protection thresholds based on characteristics of the surgical laser system, patient observations, and pre-operative measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high repetition rate lasers are used to deliver surgical pulses, then surgical precision and efficiency are improved, but residual light can cause thermal or photic injury to the retina
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary laser pulses to create an optical barrier (protection shield) in the vitreous humor before delivering surgical laser pulses to the retina. This preliminary action establishes a protective mechanism that absorbs and scatters residual surgical light, preventing retinal injury while allowing high repetition rate lasers to be used for efficient surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical barrier formed by laser-induced plasma or cavitation bubbles in the vitreous humor. This intermediary structure acts as a mediator between the surgical laser and the retina, absorbing and scattering residual light while allowing the surgical procedure to proceed with high energy pulses.
2Use of energy by moving object
If laser pulse energy is increased to improve surgical impact, then surgical effectiveness is improved, but the risk of thermal or photic injury to adjacent structures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent delivers preliminary laser pulses at lower energy levels to create the protective optical barrier before administering high energy surgical pulses. This preliminary low-energy action establishes protection that enables subsequent high-energy pulses to be delivered safely without causing thermal injury to adjacent structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful residual light and laser energy into a beneficial protective barrier through controlled photodisruption of the vitreous humor. The laser energy that could otherwise cause thermal injury is instead used to create plasma or cavitation bubbles that absorb and scatter the harmful radiation, protecting the retina and adjacent structures.
3Reliability
If preliminary laser pulses are applied to form a protection barrier, then retinal protection is improved, but additional time and energy are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent delivers a brief sequence of preliminary laser pulses (typically 1-5 pulses at high repetition rates) to create the protective barrier immediately before surgical pulses. This rapid preliminary action minimizes time loss while establishing reliable protection, allowing the entire process to be completed within the surgical timeframe.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes preliminary pulse parameters (energy, repetition rate, focal position) to create an effective protection barrier with minimal pulse sequences. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves reliable retinal protection while minimizing the time and energy investment required for the preliminary barrier formation.
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
The solution effectively reduces the risk of retinal injury by creating a protection barrier that blocks or scatters residual surgical laser pulses, allowing for higher energy surgical pulses to be applied while safeguarding the retina, thus enhancing the precision and efficiency of ophthalmic surgeries.
Implementation Method 1
Laser-induced photodisruption is widely used in laser ophthalmic surgery
Implementation Method 2
The protecting the photosensitive tissue may include blocking, scattering, or absorbing the residual surgical laser pulses
Implementation Method 3
The protecting the photosensitive tissue may include blocking, scattering, or absorbing the residual surgical laser pulses
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques, apparatus and systems for laser surgery are described to provide protection of sensitive tissues from surgical laser pulses. For example, an ophthalmic surgical method may include determining a surgical target region in an eye, selecting a protection region between the surgical target region and a photosensitive tissue, estimating a damage-threshold of the photosensitive tissue and a protection-threshold of the protection region, applying preliminary laser-pulses to the protection region with parameters between the damage-threshold and the protection threshold to form a protection barrier, and applying surgical laser pulses to the surgical target region.