Subthreshold Micropulsed Laser for Glaucoma Neuroprotection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional retinal photocoagulation treatments for conditions like diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma often cause visible tissue damage, leading to complications such as pain, inflammation, and permanent vision loss, and are laborious and inefficient due to the need for numerous laser spots and avoidance of sensitive areas like the fovea.
Innovation Solution
A system and process using subthreshold micropulsed laser photocoagulation with predetermined parameters, including wavelengths greater than 532 nm, low duty cycles, and controlled exposure to improve retinal and optic nerve function without causing detectable tissue damage, allowing treatment of the entire retina including the fovea.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional threshold or suprathreshold photocoagulation is used to treat retinal diseases, then therapeutic effect is achieved through visible retinal burns and scarring, but tissue damage, pain, inflammation, and permanent vision loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying laser intensity to subthreshold levels (below the threshold for visible retinal burns) while adjusting other parameters such as pulse duration, repetition rate, and spatial distribution to achieve therapeutic effects without causing detectable tissue damage. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining therapeutic reliability while eliminating harmful tissue damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs partial action by applying subthreshold photocoagulation that provides sufficient therapeutic benefit without reaching the excessive intensity required for visible burns. The treatment delivers just enough energy to produce clinical improvement while stopping short of causing detectable retinal damage, thus resolving the contradiction between therapeutic effect and tissue damage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional photocoagulation treats only specific areas avoiding the fovea, then tissue damage is minimized in sensitive regions, but treatment becomes laborious and inefficient requiring numerous laser spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a treatment approach that can safely and effectively treat the entire retina including the fovea, eliminating the need to avoid sensitive areas. The subthreshold photocoagulation method provides universal applicability across all retinal regions while maintaining safety, thereby improving productivity by reducing the number of treatment spots needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by instead of avoiding the fovea and sensitive areas, it intentionally treats these regions with subthreshold photocoagulation. This inversion allows comprehensive treatment of the entire retina, improving efficiency while the subthreshold nature prevents harmful tissue damage in sensitive areas.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If conventional photocoagulation creates visible retinal burns to ensure therapeutic effect, then treatment endpoint is clear, but complications such as pain, inflammation, and visual loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the intensity parameter to subthreshold levels, eliminating visible burns while maintaining therapeutic effect. The treatment endpoint is detected through functional improvements rather than visual changes, and this parameter change resolves the contradiction by eliminating inflammation and visual loss while still providing clear therapeutic benefit.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If subthreshold photocoagulation is used to avoid tissue damage, then retinal function is preserved, but treatment parameters must be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor treatment response and adjust parameters in real-time. This feedback system manages the complexity of parameter control by automatically optimizing delivery based on observed effects, resolving the contradiction between avoiding tissue damage and controlling parameters precisely.
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 provides neuroprotective therapy that improves optic nerve and retinal function, reduces the risk of visual loss, and eliminates the drawbacks of conventional treatments by avoiding tissue damage and inflammation, enabling more efficient and comprehensive treatment of retinal diseases.
Implementation Method 1
laser light absorption heats pigmented tissues at the laser site
Implementation Method 2
Heat conduction spreads this temperature increase from the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid to overlying non-pigmented and adjacent unexposed tissues
Data Source
AI summary
Providing neuroprotective therapy for glaucoma includes generating a micropulsed laser light beam having parameters and characteristics, including pulse length, power, and duty cycle, selected to create a therapeutic effect with no visible laser lesions or tissue damage to the retina. The laser light beam is applied to retinal and/or foveal tissue of an eye having glaucoma or a risk of glaucoma to create a therapeutic effect to the retinal and/or foveal tissue exposed to the laser light beam without destroying or permanently damaging the retinal and/or foveal tissue and improve function or condition of an optic nerve and/or retinal ganglion cells of the eye.