Patent ID: 8903468

Claim:
A system for laser coagulation of an eye structure, comprising: a local control system disposed at a first location and a central control system disposed at a remote site, said remote site being at a second location, at least a first laser-imaging system disposed at said first location, said first laser-imaging system including a first laser-imaging apparatus, a laser generation system, a photoacoustic system, a first processor and a local control module, said first laser-imaging apparatus including a wide angle digital image acquisition system with at least one retinal viewing camera configured to acquire digital images of said eye structure, said local control module including local operation, local operation and performance simulation, and local safety and verification sub-modules; a laser generation system including an aiming laser configured to generate and transmit an aiming laser beam to said eye structure, and a treatment laser configured to generate and transmit at least a first coagulation laser beam to said eye structure, said first coagulation laser beam having a first laser energy; said local operation sub-module including a first computer configured and arranged to acquire at least a first eye structure image from said digital image acquisition system and transmit said first eye structure image to said remote site via a computer network, receive a target laser transmission area and laser transmission parameters from a remote physician via said computer network, apply an active contour algorithm to partition said first eye structure image into a grid map, execute a scatter laser coagulation of said eye structure using said treatment laser, acquire a plurality of post-procedure eye structure images, and transmit said post-procedure eye structure images to said remote site for evaluation and verification of treatment; said photoacoustic system including an ultrasound transducer configured to detect acoustic waves that are generated as a result of the absorption of energy by said eye structure such that said photoacoustic system is able to determine a temperature of said eye structure tissue subjected to said first laser energy, said ultrasound transducer comprising a transducer array configured to directionally target a reception of said acoustic waves; and said central control system including a second processor and a remote control module, said remote control module including remote operation, remote operation and performance simulation, and remote safety and verification sub-modules, said remote operations sub-module comprising a second computer configured and arranged to execute remote commands during a laser coagulation procedure on said eye structure in an actual control mode, wherein, in said actual control mode, said treatment laser is configured to transmit said first coagulation laser beam to said eye structure.