Patent US 5,360,424

Systems and methods are disclosed for aligning and confining laser beam exposure to a defined target region of biological tissue during laser surgery by employing a floating lens which is mechanically coupled to a reference element, such as a target tissue securing assembly, in order to compensate for movements of the target during surgical procedures. The floating lens forms part of the imaging optics and, by its design, direct the laser beam to follow the movements of the target tissue regardless of translational movements of the target.