Scanning slit delivery system

We describe the structure and function of a delivery system designed for use with an argon fluoride excimer laser for corneal surgery. The basic principle of the delivery system is to shape the laser beam with a slit mask to a defined configuration. The image of the slit is moved across the cornea in a mathematically defined pattern to ablate a given amount of tissue, creating a new anterior radius of curvature for the cornea. The location of the beam on the cornea is determined by a rotating dove prism and a translating spherical lens, each of which is controlled by computer-regulated servomotors. The system is versatile and can be used for laser myopic or hyperopic keratomileusis, for correction of astigmatism by surface ablation, for creation of radial or transverse linear cuts, for excision of corneal buttons, and for uniform lamellar corneal smoothing procedures. The delivery system is currently used in the laboratory for the ablation of nonhuman primate corneas.