Apparatus, systems and techniques for interfacing with an eye in laser surgery

1. A laser surgical system, comprising:

a surgical laser configured to produces a surgical laser beam of surgical laser pulses to cause surgical changes in a target tissue during a surgery;

a patient interface configured to contact and to hold the target tissue in position during surgery;

an optics module located between the surgical laser and the patient interface, configured to direct the surgical laser beam to the target tissue through the patient interface, and operable to scan the surgical laser beam in the target tissue along a predetermined surgical pattern;

wherein the patient interface comprises:

an attachment frame, configured to attach to the optics module;

a fixation ring, comprising:

a suction ring configured to affix the patient interface to the target tissue via suction;

an aperture configured to encompass an applanation lens; and

a locking mechanism configured to secure the applanation lens in a fixed position within the aperture;

a lens insertion opening configured to receive an applanation lens inserted in the patient interface while the patient interface is affixed to the target tissue and attached to the optics module; and

one or more guides rigidly connecting the attachment frame to the fixation ring and configured to guide the inserted applanation lens into the aperture while the patient interface is affixed to the target tissue and attached to the optics module.

2. The laser surgical system as in claim 1 , comprising:

a control unit, configured to controls the surgical laser and the optics module to focus the surgical laser pulses to a targeted location in the target tissue.

3. The laser surgical system as in claim 2 , wherein:

the control unit is configured to control the surgical laser and the optics module to direct the surgical laser pulses to a cornea of an eye.

4. The laser surgical system as in claim 2 , wherein:

the control is configured to controls the surgical laser and the optics module to direct the surgical laser pulses to a crystalline lens tissue or lens capsule tissue of an eye.

5. The laser surgical system as in claim 1 , the patient interface comprising:

a guide-cone, configured to couple the fixation end to the attachment end.