Abstract:
A system (100) for laser treatment of the eye comprises one or more diffractive optical elements (12)(56a)-(56k) for producing unique treatment segments within an ablation zone (132) on the eye. The treatment segments may be annular (Ia)-(Ii), pie shaped (2a)-(2g), or have other geometries or patterns selected to apply energy in a particular manner, usually in a non-overlapping manner so that energy dosages can be precisely controlled. In a first embodiment of the system (100), a single diffractive optical element (12) is used, and a beam expander (22) expands or converges the beam to achieve the different treatment segments. In a second embodiment, a plurality of diffractive optical elements (56a)-(56k) are used, each of which produces a single treatment segment.