Patient interface for ophthalmologic diagnostic and interventional procedures

1. A system for ophthalmic intervention on an eye of a patient, comprising:

a. an imaging device having a field of view oriented toward the eye of the patient;

b. a patient interface housing having proximal and distal ends and defining a passage therethrough, wherein the distal end is coupled to one or more seals configured to be directly engaged with an exterior surface of the eye of the patient, and wherein the proximal end is configured to be coupled to a portion of the system such that at least a portion of the field of view of the imaging device passes through the passage;

c. three or more registration fiducials coupled to the patient interface housing in a predetermined geometric configuration relative to the patient interface housing within the field of view of the imaging device such that they may be imaged by the imaging device in reference to predetermined geometric markers on the eye of the patient which may also be imaged by the imaging device, wherein the three or more registration fiducials includes a first, a second and a third fiducial, the first fiducial being immediately adjacent the second fiducial, the second fiducial being immediately adjacent the third fiducial, wherein a distance between the first and the second fiducials is different from a distance between the second and the third fiducials; and

d. control electronics operatively coupled with the image device and configured to process image data generated via the image device for the registration fiducials and the predetermined geometric markers on the eye of the patient so as to determine a position or orientation of the eye relative to the patient interface housing.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a laser system operatively coupled to the control electronics, wherein the laser system is configured to produce a treatment beam that may be directed through the passage of the patient interface housing and into the eye of the patient.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the treatment beam is suitable for creating dielectric breakdown within a cataractous crystalline lens of the eye.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the laser system is configured to produce a pulsed treatment beam with a pulse repetition rate between about 1 kHz and about 200 kHz, a wavelength between about 800 nm and about 1,100 nm, a pulse energy between about 1 microjoule and about 1,000 microjoules, and a pulse duration between about 100 femtoseconds and about 10 picoseconds.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an optical lens coupled to the housing and having a focal axis aligned to pass through the passage of the housing.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an illumination source configured to direct illumination radiation toward the eye of the patient either from a position adjacent the imaging device, or through the passage of the patient interface housing, or across a portion of the patient interface housing that is translucent to the illumination radiation.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the illumination radiation is infrared radiation.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more materials that fluoresce in infrared radiation.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more materials that highly contrast in infrared radiation relative to other surrounding materials.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more surface irregularities relative to other surrounding surfaces.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more surface irregularities are selected from the group consisting of: a concave feature, a convex feature, a depressed edge, a depressed step, a projecting edge, a projecting step, and an intersection of lines.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the illumination radiation is visible light radiation.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more materials that highly contrast in visible light radiation relative to other surrounding materials.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more surface irregularities relative to other surrounding surfaces.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more surface irregularities are selected from the group consisting of: a concave feature, a convex feature, a depressed edge, a depressed step, a projecting edge, a projecting step, and an intersection of lines.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging device comprises an optical coherence tomography system configured to measure the coherence of radiation scattered into an interferometer from the field of view.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the fiducials comprises one or more surface irregularities relative to other surrounding surfaces.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more surface irregularities are selected from the group consisting of: a concave feature, a convex feature, a depressed edge, a depressed step, a projecting edge, a projecting step, and an intersection of lines.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the three or more fiducials are positioned upon an inner annulus formed by the distal end of the patient interface housing.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the three or more fiducials include exactly three fiducials.