Ophthalmic Surgery Planning Device for Corneal Refractive Correction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current eye surgery methods for refractive correction, such as Liric, face challenges with precise positioning and unintended effects due to malpositioning or technical failures, leading to complications like increased scattering or absorption, and require time-consuming repairs or incomplete refractive effects.

Innovation Solution

A planning device and treatment device system that generates control data for creating corneal cut surfaces using laser radiation to form a lenticule (lental) structure, allowing for its complete removal and intended refractive correction, with optional pre-cutting or introduction of enhancement structures to ensure accurate positioning and minimize complications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If Liric procedure is performed to change refractive power, then refractive correction is achieved, but positioning errors or technical failures cause unintended effects and complications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefractive power correction accuracyVSAvoidpositioning reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by creating an enhancement structure (ES) before the actual Liric treatment. This ES serves as a preventive measure that can be used to correct any positioning errors or unintended effects that may occur during the main treatment, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving precise refractive correction and ensuring positioning reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary anti-action by designing an enhancement structure that can counteract unintended effects before they become problematic. The ES is positioned and configured to compensate for potential positioning errors, thus preventing complications from affecting the final refractive outcome

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Manufacturing precision

If malpositioning or technical failures occur during Liric treatment, then unintended effects are generated, but correcting these effects requires time-consuming additional treatments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefractive correction accuracyVSAvoidtreatment time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By pre-positioning an enhancement structure that can address positioning errors, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming corrective treatments. The ES is ready to compensate for any issues without requiring additional complex intervention procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The enhancement structure can be selectively activated or adjusted based on the actual treatment outcome, allowing the system to recover from positioning errors without discarding the entire treatment plan or requiring complete re-treatment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Manufacturing precision

If enhancement structures are introduced to correct positioning errors, then refractive accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefractive correction accuracyVSAvoidtreatment device complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The enhancement structure serves multiple functions: it acts as a preventive measure against positioning errors, a corrective mechanism for unintended effects, and a verification tool for treatment accuracy. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing comprehensive error management in a single integrated component

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3454802B1Planning device and method for generating control data for an ophthalmic surgery device
Publication Date: 2022.10.12 CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
  • EP3454802B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3454802B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP3454802B1 patent drawingFigure 6(a)~6(b)

AI summary

The invention relates to a planning device for generating control data for a treatment apparatus which by means of a laser device produces at least one incision surface in the cornea, and to a treatment apparatus having such a planning device. The invention further relates to a method for generating control data for a treatment apparatus which by means of a laser device produces at least one incision surface in the cornea, and to a corresponding ophthalmic surgery method. The planning device is thereby provided with calculation means for defining the corneal incision surfaces, wherein the calculation means determine the corneal incision surfaces on the basis of data of a LIRIC structure and/or a refractive correction, and generate for the corneal incision surfaces a control data set for controlling the laser device, wherein the calculation means determine the corneal incision surfaces in such a manner that the LIRIC structure is enclosed by the incision surfaces.