with multiple focal points provide laser system for ophthalmic surgery

摘要

An optical system for partitioning and focusing a laser beam into a plurality of focal points to simultaneously photoalter corneal tissue at a plurality of locations includes a laser source. In one embodiment, an active mirror is used to partition the master beam into diverging beams. In another embodiment, a lenslet array in combination with a field lens is used to partition the master beam into seven diverging beams. The resultant diverging beams are then collimated, magnified and focused into a plurality of focal points using a set of optical lenses. Each focal point has an average pulse energy of approximately 5 mu J rendering it suitable for subsurface photoalteration of corneal tissue. A scanning mechanism is provided to move the plurality of focal points, as a group, along a predetermined path through the cornea to quickly and safely photoalter a predetermined volume of subsurface corneal tissue. IMAGE IMAGE