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DE-102022117348-B4 - Method for providing control data for an ophthalmic surgical laser and treatment device with at least one corresponding ophthalmic surgical laser

DE102022117348B4DE 102022117348 B4DE102022117348 B4DE 102022117348B4DE-102022117348-B4

Abstract

Method for providing control data for an ophthalmic surgical laser (18) of a treatment device (10), wherein the method comprises the following steps performed by means of a control device (20): - Determining a first and at least a second cross-sectional surface (14, 16) in a cornea (26) of a human or animal eye, - Establishing an incision path which, starting from an outer surface of the cornea (26), divides and extends on the one hand to the first cut surface (14) and on the other hand to at least the second cut surface (16), - wherein the incision path has a first path (17a) extending from the outside into a volume of the cornea (26), and which splits at a node (17d) into a second path (17b) and at least a third path (17c), wherein the second path (17b) extends from the node (17d) to the first cut surface (14) and the at least third path (17c) extends from the node (17d) to the at least second cut surface (16), - Providing control data for controlling the ophthalmic surgical laser (18), which includes at least the defined incision path, characterized in that - the second and third routes (17c) enclose an angle between 70 and 120 degrees at the node.

Inventors

  • Samuel Arba Mosquera
  • Thomas Magnago

Assignees

  • SCHWIND EYE-TECH-SOLUTIONS GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220712

Claims (14)

  1. Method for providing control data for an ophthalmic surgical laser (18) of a treatment device (10), wherein the method comprises the following steps performed by means of a control device (20): - Determining a first and at least a second cutting surface (14, 16) in a cornea (26) of a human or animal eye, - Defining an incision path extending from an outer surface of the cornea (26) the incision path divides and extends on the one hand to the first cutting surface (14) and on the other hand to at least the second cutting surface (16), - wherein the incision path has a first path (17a) which extends from the outside into a volume of the cornea (26), and which divides at a node (17d) into a second path (17b) and at least a third path (17c), wherein the second path (17b) extends from the node (17d) to the first cutting surface (14) and the at least third path (17c) extends from the node (17d) to the at least second cutting surface (16), - providing control data for controlling the ophthalmic surgical laser (18), which includes at least the defined incision path, characterized in that - the second and the third path (17c) enclose an angle between 70 and 120 degrees at the node.
  2. Procedure according to Claim 1 wherein, starting from a direction of travel and/or a radius of curvature of the first path (17a), the second and/or at least the third path (17b, 17c) exhibit a change of direction in their respective direction of travel.
  3. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , whereby the paths of the routes are essentially straight lines.
  4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the first path (17a) has at least one change of direction in its direction of travel.
  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second path (17b) or the at least third path (17c) has at least one change of direction in its respective direction of travel.
  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second path (17b) and the at least third path (17c) have at least one change of direction in their respective directions.
  7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second path (17b) and the at least third path (17c) run parallel to each other at least section by section.
  8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second and/or the at least third pathway (17b, 17c) run at least section-wise, preferably substantially parallel to one of several tissue layers of the cornea (26) running parallel to the outside.
  9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the laser (18) is controlled by providing the control data by means of the control device (20) to emit laser pulses in a wavelength range between 300 nm and 1400 nm, preferably between 700 nm and 1200 nm, at a respective pulse duration between 1 fs and 1 ns, preferably between 10 fs and 10 ps, and a repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz, preferably between 100 kHz and 100 MHz.
  10. Method for controlling a treatment device (10), wherein the method comprises the following steps: - the method steps of a method according to one of the preceding claims, and - transmitting the provided control data to a respective ophthalmic surgical laser (18) of the treatment device (10).
  11. Control device (20) which is configured to carry out a respective procedure according to one of the preceding claims.
  12. Treatment device (10) with at least one ophthalmic surgical laser (18) for introducing predefined cut surfaces (14, 16) into a cornea (26) of a human or animal eye by means of optical breakthrough, in particular by means of ablation and/or photodisruption and at least one control device (20) according to Claim 11 .
  13. computer program comprising commands that cause the treatment device (10) to operate in accordance with Claim 12 a procedure according to one of the Claims 1 until 9 and/or a procedure according to Claim 10 executes.
  14. Computer-readable medium on which a computer program can be executed according to Claim 13 is stored.

Description

The invention relates to a method for providing control data for an ophthalmic surgical laser of a treatment device. The ophthalmic surgical laser can be used, for example, to perform refractive error correction in a human or animal eye. The ophthalmic surgical laser can, for example, be controlled to detach a corneal volume from the cornea with predefined interfaces. This corneal volume is hereinafter also referred to as a lenticule. The invention also relates to a method for controlling a treatment device with at least one corresponding ophthalmic surgical laser, a control device for carrying out the respective method, a treatment device, a computer program and a computer-readable medium. Treatment devices and methods for controlling lasers, which are used, for example, to correct refractive errors of the cornea, are known in the prior art. For example, a pulsed laser and a beam focusing device can be configured such that laser beam points within a focus located in corneal tissue cause an optical breakthrough, in particular photodisruption, at a predetermined cut surface. Two such cut surfaces can define or delimit a lenticule to be removed. Thus, by irradiating the tissue with the laser, the lenticule can be detached from the cornea. To extract the detached lenticule from the corneal tissue, an incision is made starting from the outer surface of the cornea. This type of incision is also called a slit. The incision is made to reach the specific cutting surface, or cutting plane. The incision is made to access the specific cut surface, for example, the upper and lower boundaries that define the lenticule. It may be necessary to manually refine or recut the cut surface before removing the lenticule to ensure the laser treatment was successful. This allows, for example, the separation of any tissue remnants or bridges left behind by the laser from the surrounding corneal tissue. A medical instrument, particularly a cutting device, can be inserted through the incision and then used to cut along the cut surface. The corneal tissue to be removed can then be extracted through the incision. Various types of incisions are known from the prior art. For example, it is possible to make only one incision in the cornea for lenticule extraction. This incision can, for instance, run directly from the outer surface to an intersection of the interfaces bordering the lenticule, or to a cross-sectional surface of the interfaces leading to that intersection point. However, the intersection point may not represent optimal access to the interfaces. Alternatively, multiple incisions, for example one incision for each of the interfaces, can be made in the cornea. The DE 10 2020 112 277 A1 For example, it reveals a method for controlling an ophthalmic surgical laser in which two different incisions are made in the cornea to extract a lenticule. From the DE 10 2007 019 813 A1 A device for creating incisions for a lenticule in the cornea of an eye for refractive error correction is known. In this device, two spaced-apart incisions are made in the cornea and guided to the lenticule. From the US 2015/0 057 644 A1 A method for removing a lenticule from a cornea is known in which, for the purpose of removing the lenticule, respective channels are guided to an anterior and posterior interface of the lenticule. Furthermore, the printed text describes EP 3 988 063 A1 an ophthalmic device for surgical treatment of a cornea and the publication US 2004/0243112A1 describes a device and a procedure for ophthalmic surgical procedures using a femtosecond fiber laser. To gain access to different surfaces or planes within the cornea, current techniques require multiple incisions from the outer surface of the cornea to the respective incision site. This has the disadvantage of placing additional stress on the corneal tissue. As a result, the healing process for a patient after refractive correction can be prolonged. The object of the present invention is to provide a means to prevent, in the case of a The goal of refractive error correction is to provide access to different cutting surfaces within a cornea while avoiding additional stress on the tissue. This problem is solved by the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments with expedient further developments of the invention are specified in the respective dependent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments of an independent patent claim are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments for the other independent patent claims, and vice versa. The invention is based on the realization that access to multiple planes, i.e. the cross-sectional surfaces within the cornea, can be achieved with a branching incision pattern. Accordingly, the invention proposes a method for providing control data for an ophthalmic surgical or ophthalmic laser treatment device. The method comprises the following steps, performed by means of a control unit: First, a first and at least a second cutting surface or cutting