US 11,896,525 B2
Laser thermal conjunctivoplasty
David Huang, Portland, OR (US); Gangjun Liu, Portland, OR (US); Jianlong Yang, Portland, OR (US); and Stephen Pflugfelder, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY, Portland, OR (US); and BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, Houston, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/487,629
Filed by Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 27, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/019886
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 21, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/157110, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 30, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/464,288, filed on Feb. 27, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0030141 A1, Jan. 30, 2020
Int. Cl. A61F 9/008 (2006.01); A61B 17/285 (2006.01); A61B 18/20 (2006.01); A61B 18/22 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 9/008 (2013.01) [A61B 17/285 (2013.01); A61B 18/203 (2013.01); A61B 18/22 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00973 (2013.01); A61F 2009/00853 (2013.01); A61F 2009/00865 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of laser thermal conjunctivoplasty, comprising:
delivering laser light from a handheld laser probe to a conjunctival fold; the handheld laser probe comprising:
a pair of forceps having grasping regions; and
a line focused laser coupled to the pair of forceps, wherein the forceps are configured to grasp the conjunctival fold and hold the conjunctival fold in a focal plane of a light beam of the line focused laser, and wherein the light beam is focused into a line parallel to and just above the grasping regions of the forceps, and has a wavelength, power, and pulse duration which are configured to uniformly heat the conjunctival fold held in the forceps to a temperature high enough for shrinking a thickness of the conjunctival fold, thereby performing laser thermal conjunctivoplasty.