Patient interface with variable applanation

1. A variable-applanation patient interface, comprising:

a lens support system, attachable to a distal end of an ophthalmic surgical laser system;

a contact lens, supported by the lens support system, configured to make contact with an eye-surface; and

an adjustable coupler, coupled to at least one of the lens support system and the contact lens, and configured

to be coupled to a non-central region of the eye-surface,

to accommodate the contact lens to contact a central region of the eye-surface with a central applanation,

to accommodate the contact lens to contact an extended region of the eye-surface larger than the central region with an extended applanation, and

to enable a change between the central applanation and the extended applanation by changing a configuration of the adjustable coupler relative to the lens support system.

2. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler is configured to enable the change between the central applanation and the extended applanation of the contact lens without releasing the coupling to the non-central region of the eye-surface.

3. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable coupler being configured to enable a change between the central applanation and the extended applanation comprises:

the adjustable coupler being configured to enable at least one of

a change from the central applanation to the extended applanation, and

a change from the extended applanation to the central applanation.

4. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler is integrated with the lens support system.

5. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , the adjustable coupler comprising:

a suction ring, configured to form an airtight contact with the eye-surface; and

a vacuum hose, to connect a suction pump with a docking chamber, formed by the contact lens, the suction ring, and the eye-surface, wherein

the suction ring comprises at least one of a ring, a skirt, a cone, and an airtight structure.

6. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the contact lens making contact with the central region of the eye-surface enables the ophthalmic surgical laser system to perform at least one of

a cataract laser procedure, a capsulotomy, a lens lysis, a photodisruption, and a lens chop of a lens of the eye; and

the contact lens making contact with the extended region of the eye-surface enables the ophthalmic surgical laser system to form at least one of

a limbal relaxing incision, an arcuate incision, an anterior chamber access cut, an anterior chamber entry cut, a flap-cut and a corneal refractive procedure.

7. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

a radius of the central region is in the range of 2-5 mm; and

a radius of the extended region is in the range of 4-9 mm.

8. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate the contact lens with the central applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to position the contact lens in a first lens position;

the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate the contact lens with the extended applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to position the contact lens in a second lens position, and

the adjustable coupler being configured to enable a change between the central applanation and the extended applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to enable a repositioning of the contact lens between the first lens position and the second lens position.

9. The variable-applanation interface of claim 8 , wherein:

the ophthalmic surgical laser system comprises

an actuator, coupled to at least one of the lens support system, the contact lens and the adjustable coupler, and comprising at least one of a mechanical, a friction-based, a spring-loaded, an adhesive-based, a pneumatic, a chemical, a thermal, a magnetic, an electric and an electromagnetic system, wherein

the actuator is configured to actuate the adjustable coupler to enable the change between the central applanation and the extended applanation by repositioning the contact lens.

10. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 8 , comprising:

a flexible connector, configured

to connect the adjustable coupler to the lens support system,

to assume a first connector configuration to position the contact lens in the first lens position,

to assume a second connector configuration to position the contact lens in the second lens position, and

to be able to change configuration between the first connector configuration and the second connector configuration.

11. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 8 , wherein:

the lens support system and the adjustable coupler are separable elements; and

the variable-applanation patient interface comprises a positioning mechanism that is configured

to accommodate the lens support system and the adjustable coupler to assume a first relative position to position the contact lens in the first lens position,

to accommodate the lens support system and the adjustable coupler to assume a second relative position to position the contact lens in the second lens position, and

to enable the lens support system and the adjustable coupler to change between the first relative position and the second relative position.

12. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 11 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler comprises a hollow cylinder that can be mated slideably to a hollow cylinder of the lens support system; and

the positioning mechanism is configured to lock the cylinder of the lens support system to the cylinder of the adjustable coupler.

13. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler comprises

an inner suction ring, defining an inner docking chamber coupled to an inner vacuum hose, and

an outer suction ring, defining an outer docking chamber, coupled to an outer vacuum hose, wherein

the inner and outer vacuum hoses are capable of coupling the corresponding inner and outer docking chambers to one or more vacuum pumps.

14. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 13 , wherein:

the variable-applanation patient interface is configured to enable the contact lens to make contact with the central region of the eye-surface when a first suction is applied to the outer docking chamber through the outer vacuum hose; and

the variable-applanation patient interface is configured to enable the contact lens to make contact with the extended region of the eye-surface when a second suction is applied to the inner docking chamber through the inner vacuum hose.

15. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 1 , wherein:

the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate the contact lens with the central applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate a shape of the contact lens to assume a first lens shape;

the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate the contact lens with the extended applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to accommodate the shape of the contact lens to assume a second lens shape; and

the adjustable coupler being configured to enable a change between the central applanation and the extended applanation comprises the adjustable coupler being configured to enable the shape of the contact lens to change between the first lens shape and the second lens shape.

16. The variable-applanation interface of claim 15 , wherein:

the ophthalmic surgical laser system comprises

an actuator, coupled to at least one of the lens support system, the contact lens and the adjustable coupler, and comprising at least one of a mechanical, a friction-based, a spring-loaded, an adhesive-based, a pneumatic, a chemical, a thermal, a magnetic, an electric, and an electromagnetic system, wherein

the actuator is configured to actuate the adjustable coupler to enable the change between the central applanation and the extended applanation by changing the shape of the contact lens.

17. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 16 , wherein:

the actuator comprises a suction pump, configured to vary the shape of the contact lens by increasing a suction applied to the adjustable coupler, wherein

the contact lens comprises a material capable of changing its shape.

18. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 16 , wherein:

the contact lens comprises a rheological fluid, and

the actuator is configured to vary a flexibility of the contact lens by applying a magnetic field.

19. The variable-applanation patient interface of claim 16 , comprising:

the actuator is configured to lower the lens support system towards the eye, resulting in a variation of the shape of the contact lens.