Ophthalmology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9949638-B2
Application number	US-201615001676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 13, 2011
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

Apparatus for illuminating the retina of an eye. The apparatus includes an illumination device and a lens system. The illumination device and the lens system combine to provide incident illumination from an apparent point source located within the lens system. The apparatus also includes an illumination transfer device. The illumination transfer device has two foci and the apparent point source of the lens system is provided at a first focus point of the illumination transfer device and an eye is accommodated at a second focus point of the illumination transfer device. The illumination transfer device transfers the incident illumination from the apparent point source into the eye to illuminate the retina.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for illuminating a retina of an eye, the apparatus comprising:
an illumination device;
a lens system including a wide-angle lens having a field of view (FOV) of between approximately 100 degrees and approximately 180 degrees;
wherein the illumination device and the wide-angle lens combine to provide incident illumination from an apparent point source located within the lens system;
an illumination transfer device, wherein the illumination transfer device has a first focus point and a second focus point, and the apparent point source of the wide-angle lens is provided at the first focus point of the illumination transfer device and the eye is accommodated at the second focus point of the illumination transfer device; and
wherein the illumination transfer device is shaped and positioned relative to the apparent point source of the wide-angle lens to transfer the incident illumination from the apparent point source into the eye to illuminate the retina, wherein the incident illumination travels directly from the apparent point source to a point on the illumination transfer device and directly from the point on the illumination transfer device to the second focus point of the illumination transfer device at which the eye is accommodated.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an apparent focus point located within the lens system, wherein the apparent focus point and the apparent point source are coincident.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device and the lens system are arranged to illuminate an area of the retina.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination transfer device comprises one of the group consisting of a tilted spherical mirror, an aspherical mirror, an elliptical mirror, an ellipsoidal mirror, a pair of parabola mirrors, a pair of paraboloidal mirrors, and a second lens system comprising two foci.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises a light source comprising one of the group consisting of a laser, a light emitting diode (LED), a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), a super luminescent diode (SLD), a diode laser, a collimated incandescent lamp, a flash or illumination device, or a digital light processing (DLP) projection device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination device comprises a two-dimensional scanning device for scanning the retina of the eye with collimated light such that the illumination device and the lens system are arranged to provide a two-dimensional collimated light scan from the apparent point source located within the lens system.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the two-dimensional scanning device comprises at least one of a single scanning element capable of rotating in at least two axes and two separate scanning elements each having a single axis of rotation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the single scanning element is a microelectromechanical (MEMS) scanning element.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising one or more detectors for detecting the reflected light from the retina.

10. A method of illuminating a retina of an eye, the method comprising:
providing an illumination device;
providing a lens system including a wide-angle lens having a field of view (FOV) of between approximately 100 degrees and approximately 180 degrees;
using the illumination device and the wide-angle lens in combination to provide incident illumination from an apparent point source located within the wide-angle lens;
providing an illumination transfer device having a first focus point and a second focus point;
providing the apparent point source at the first focus point of the illumination transfer device and the eye at the second focus point of the illumination transfer device; and
using the illumination transfer device to transfer the incident illumination from the apparent point source into the eye, wherein the incident illumination travels directly from the apparent point source to a point on the illumination transfer device and directly from the point on the illumination transfer device to the second focus point of the illumination transfer device at which the eye is accommodated.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
an apparent focus point is located within the lens system; and
the apparent focus point and the apparent point source are coincident.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the illumination device and the lens system are arranged to illuminate an area of the retina.

13. The method according to claim 10 , comprising providing one or more detectors to detect reflected light from the retina to form an image of the retina.

14. An apparatus for imaging a retina of an eye, the apparatus comprising:
an illumination device;
a lens system including a wide-angle lens having a field of view (FOV) of between approximately 100 degrees and approximately 180 degrees;
wherein the illumination device and the lens system combine to provide incident illumination from an apparent point source located within the lens system;
a light detector; and
an illumination transfer device, wherein the illumination transfer device has a first focus point and a second focus point and the apparent point source of the lens system is provided at the first focus point of the illumination transfer device and the eye is accommodated at the second focus point of the illumination transfer device; and
wherein the illumination transfer device transfers incident illumination from the apparent point source into the eye to illuminate the retina and the light detector detects light reflected from the retina to obtain an image of the retina, wherein the incident illumination travels directly from the apparent point source to a point on the illumination transfer device and directly from the point on the illumination transfer device to the second focus point of the illumination transfer device at which the eye is accommodated.

15. A method of imaging a retina of an eye, the method comprising:
providing an illumination device;
providing a lens system including a wide-angle lens having a field of view (FOV) of between approximately 100 degrees and approximately 180 degrees;
using the illumination device and the lens system in combination to provide incident illumination from an apparent point source located within the lens system;
providing a light detector;
providing an illumination transfer device having a first focus point and a second focus point;
providing the apparent point source at the first focus point of the illumination transfer device and the eye at the second focus point of the illumination transfer device;
using the illumination transfer device to transfer incident illumination from the apparent point source into the eye, wherein the incident illumination travels directly from the apparent point source to a point on the illumination transfer device and directly from the point on the illumination transfer device to the second focus point of the illumination transfer device at which the eye is accommodated; and
using the light detector to detect light reflected from the retina to produce an image of the retina.

16. An apparatus for treating a retina of an eye with collimated light, the apparatus comprising:
a collimated light illumination device;
a lens system including a wide-angle lens having a field of view (FOV) of between approximately 100 degrees and approximately 180 degrees;
wherein the illumination device and the wide-angle

Assignees

• Optos Plc

Inventors

• Creasey Christopher David
• Milne Stuart Brian
• Fogg Andrew

Classifications

• A61B3/1025

  for confocal scanning · CPC title

• A61B3/12 Primary

  for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes (A61B3/13 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61F2009/00897

  Scanning mechanisms or algorithms · CPC title

• A61B3/0008

  provided with illuminating means (A61B3/117, A61B3/14 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B26/0833

  the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD (G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B) · CPC title