Patent ID: 7867223

Claim:
A surgical apparatus for treating an eye in need of one or more of a physiological and a vision correction, the surgical apparatus comprising: a treatment source suitable for cutting or ablating an anatomic structure of an eye; a measuring device capable of facilitating a determination of a thickness of the anatomic structure; software; a computer coupled to the software to aid in impartation by the system of a tunnel ablation at a depth corresponding to the thickness from the measuring device of the anatomic structure; a delivery apparatus comprising a proximal end and a distal end; a waveguide, as part of the delivery apparatus, the waveguide being connected to the treatment source and having a composition and configuration capable of propagating energy from the treatment source toward the distal end of the delivery apparatus; and an output end, as part of the distal end of delivery apparatus, that is configured to facilitate delivery of energy from the treatment source, via the waveguide, to the anatomic structure in at least one vicinity that is in need of one or more of the physiological and the vision correction, the delivery apparatus as a consequence at least in part of being connected to and in communication with the computer being structurally enabled to (a) facilitate use of the determined thickness and (b) under control of the computer to accomplish ablation through more than 90% of the thickness of the anatomic structure but not into an underlying structure thus forming a tunnel ablation, whereby the waveguide and the output end have a shape and arrangement defining to a spot size of at least about 75 mm, the treatment source having a wavelength, power and timing which in combination are configured and capable to ablate tissue of the anatomic structure to a degree sufficient to form the tunnel ablation with a bottom surface having a u-shape or a flattened bottom surface, as distinguished from a v-shape, and having a radius of curvature greater than about 75 mm.