An ophthalmological laser surgery system having a laser, associated elements for delivering an optical beam from the laser to a patient eye location, a control unit for controlling the operation of the system and a system input/output device, is enabled by a patient data card. The data card originally contains both patient background and system control information, which is transferred to the control unit via the input/output device. During system operation, newly generated information, such as laser beam power, is stored in the data card to provide an independent record of the surgical procedure actually performed. After one use, the data card is invalidated to prevent further use.
This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/904,199, filed Jul. 31, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,873; which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/666,840, filed Mar. 8, 1991 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,634; the full disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference; this application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/137,975, filed Aug. 21, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,513.
A wavefront sensor enhances calibration of a laser ablation system, such as a laser eye surgery system, by measuring one or more characteristics of an ablated test surface. Typically, light is passed through the ablated test surface, and the light is analyzed to determine the test surface characteristics. In some embodiments, the ablated test surface is positioned along a treatment plane. In some embodiments, light is passed through a wavefront sensor, such as a Hartmann-Shack sensor, to convert the light into electrical signals. A processor then converts the electrical signals into data, such as surface maps showing high-order aberrations and/or artifacts on the test surface, refractive power measurements, shape measurements, and the like. Generated data may then be used to calibrate a laser surgery system.
