Patent ID: 6302879
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
An eye treatment laser beam delivery and eye tracking system for treating an eye, comprising:a laser for generating laser light along a beam pat at an energy level suitable to ablating a microvolume of said eye in accordance with a specified pattern of pulses;an optical translator located along said beam path for shifting said beam path from one path onto a resulting path that is parallel to said beam path for delivering said specified pattern of pulses;an optical angle adjuster located on said beam path for changing said resulting path's angle relative to an optical axis of said eye, wherein said laser light is incident on said eye;an eye movement sensor for detecting measurable amounts of movement of said eye relative to said optical axis and for generating control signals indicative of said measurable amount of movement;said eye movement sensor including 1) a light source for generating light energy that is non-damaging with respect to said eye, 2) an optical delivery arrangement for delivering said light energy on a delivery light path to said optical angle adjuster in a parallel relationship with said resulting path, said delivery light path's angle changed by said optical angle adjuster in correspondence with said resulting path's angle wherein said light energy and said laser light are incident on said eye in said parallel relationship, wherein a portion of said light energy is reflected from said eye as reflected energy traveling on a reflected light path back through said optical angle adjuster, and 3) an optical receiving arrangement for detecting said reflected energy from said optical angle adjuster and for generating said control signals based on said reflected energy wherein said optical angle adjuster is responsive to said control signals for changing said resulting path's angle and said delivery light path's angle in correspondence with one another.