Method and systems for laser treatment of presbyopia using offset imaging

Abstract

An ophthalmic surgery system and method for treating presbyopia by performing ablative photodecomposition of the corneal surface. The offset image of a variable aperture, such as a variable width slit and variable diameter iris diaphragm, is scanned in a preselected pattern to perform ablative sculpting of predetermined portions of a corneal surface. The scanning is performed to ablate an optical zone sized to match the patient pupil with a peripheral transition zone outside the pupil. The shape of the ablated optical zone is different from the shape of the final optical correction on the anterior surface of the cornea. The optical zone corrects for near-vision centrally and far-vision peripherally. A movable image displacement mechanism enables radial displacement and angular rotation of the profiled beam exiting from the variable aperture. The invention enables wide area treatment with a laser having a narrower beam than the treatment area, and can be used in the treatment of many conditions in conjunction with presbyopia such as hyperopia, hyperopic astigmatism and irregular refractive aberrations.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 600,027, filed on Jun. 19, 2003, (Attorney Docket No. 018158-011140US), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 901,964, filed on Jul. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,619, (Attorney Docket No. 018158-011120US), which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 261,768, filed on Mar. 3, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,435, (Attorney Docket No. 018158-01111US), which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 60 / 076,786, filed on Mar. 4, 1998, the full disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]This invention relates to surgical modifications to the eye. In a specific embodiment, the invention provides ophthalmic surgery techniques which employ a laser to effect ablative photodecomposition of corneal tissue to correct presbyopia and / or other vis...

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Benefits of technology

[0018]It is an object of the invention to mitigate and / or inhibit presbyopia with minimal vision degradation by ablating a transition zone peripheral to an optical zone. It is a further object of the invention to ablate a cornea to produce a healed cornea with an aspheric optical zone that corrects presbyopia. In one aspect, the invention provides for ablating the cornea to a desired shape that compensates for changes in the corneal shape as the cornea heals. In another aspect, the invention provides for the simultaneous correction of presbyopic and other refractive corrections such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In a yet further aspect, the invention provides for scaling the aspheric optical zone to match the size of the pupil. In yet another aspect, the invention provides for a method for treating presbyopia which includes ablating a transition zone outside an optical zone. One of the major difficulties encountered in the application of laser surgery techniques to effect hyperopic and presbyopic refractive error corrections lies in the nature of the boundary between the optical zone and the untreated area. When the anterior surface of the cornea is sculpted to have an increased curvature, the maximum depth of cut occurs at the outer boundary of the optical zone. The generally annular region between this outer boundary and the adjacent untreated anterior surface portion of the cornea typically exhibits steep walls after the completion of the photoablation procedure. After the surgery, the eye tends to eliminate these steep walls with a stimulated healing response involving concurrent epithelial cell growth and stromal remodeling by the deposition of collagen, which results in corneal smoothing by filling in tissue in the steep walled region. This natural healing response acts to eliminate the discontinuity, resulting in a buildup of tissue in the steep walled region and over the outer portion of the optical zone. This natural phenomenon, sometimes termed the “hyperopic shift” in phototherapeutic keratectomy, causes a lack of precision for a given surgical procedure and diminished predictability, counteracting the beneficial effects of the refractive correction procedure and thereby reducing the desirability of the procedure to the prospective patient.

[0019]According to the present invention, the ablated surface can be contoured to provide an aspheric surface on a healed cornea. The invention provides for adjusting the ablation to compensate for factors effecting the final geometry of the healed cornea. These factors include corneal healing and the spatial variation of ablation. The shape of tissue ablated with a uniform laser beam pulse will depend upon the size and shape of the laser beam spot. The spatial variation of the total ablation may also cause variations in the ablated corneal shape. For example, a hyperopic ablation intended to produce a spherical ablation may demonstrate greater steepening near the center of the optical zone. This increased central curvature may form an aspheric surface that corrects for presbyopia.

[0021]The invention includes a method and system for performing ablative photodecomposition of the corneal surface that is capable of providing relatively smooth transition zones along with accurate sculpting of the anterior or other corneal surface to effect simultaneous symmetric or asymmetric refractive and presbyopic corrections with relatively large area coverage. The invention preferably employs a laser beam of smaller beam size than the total treatment area.

[0024]The invention also provides for ablating a transition zone peripheral to the optical zone and to the pupil. This positioning of the ablated transition zone will produce optimal results once the cornea heals. The ablated transition zone provides greater control over the healing process and provides greater control of the shape of the healed surface within the adjacent optical zone. Because the transition zone is ablated to control the shape of an adjacent healed surface, the transition zone may produce a corneal shape which corrects for neither near- nor far-vision. Thus, the transition zone is preferably positioned outside the pupil. Further, the transition zone is preferably sized so that healing of the cornea can be controlled within the adjacent optical zone. The optimal size of the transition zone is an annular region extending radially outward about 2 mm from the outer edge of the ablated optical zone. An ablation with a 5 mm diameter ablated optical zone and an optimally sized ablated transition zone will extend about 9 mm across the cornea. Transition zones of other sizes may be ablated outside the optical zone. Dimensions of the transition zone extending radially outward from the optical zone range from about 1 to 3 mm and preferably from about 1.5 to 2.5 mm.

[0028]In another aspect, the present invention provides a laser eye surgery method comprising selectively ablating corneal tissue from an eye having an uncorrected surface shape. Corneal tissue is ablated so as to produce an initial ablated shape on an anterior surface of the cornea of the eye. The ablated eye heals, and the healed eye has a healed anterior surface shape which differs significantly from the initial ablated shape. This healed shape substantially, and in some instances entirely, corrects a refractive error of the eye.

[0029]In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a laser eye surgery method comprising selectively ablating corneal tissue from an eye having a refractive error. The refractive error is selected from the group consisting of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The ablating step removes a portion of cornea so as to simultaneously correct the refractive error and mitigate presbyopia of the eye.

Problems solved by technology

One of the major difficulties encountered in the application of laser surgery techniques to effect hyperopic and presbyopic refractive error corrections lies in the nature of the boundary between the optical zone and the untreated area.

This natural phenomenon, sometimes termed the “hyperopic shift” in phototherapeutic keratectomy, causes a lack of precision for a given surgical procedure and diminished predictability, counteracting the beneficial effects of the refractive correction procedure and thereby reducing the desirability of the procedure to the prospective patient.

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