This application claims the benefit of priority application DE 103 04 267.9 filed in Germany on Feb. 3, 2003. The subject matter of both of these applications is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a microscopy system for eye surgery to support a surgeon performing a surgical eye treatment, and the invention relates to a method of illuminating the eye under surgery.
In particular the microscopy system is configured to provide an appropriate illumination for a treatment of a region of the eye, such as a cornea, an iris, and a lens of the eye. A possible application of the microscopy system is a cataract surgery, where a natural lens of the human eye, in which a cataract has developed, is to be substituted by an artificial lens.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
In the following a conventional microscopy system for eye surgery is explained with reference to
In the beam 13 on the image side, two zoom systems 15, 16, each having an optical axis 17 and 18, respectively, are arranged adjacent to each other such that their optical axes 17, 18 are displaced in parallel to the optical axis 5 of the objective lens 3 and arranged with a distance a from each other. Each of the zoom systems 15, 16 receives a partial beam 19 and 20, respectively, of the beam 13. The partial beam 19 is supplied to a left eye 21 of the surgeon, and the other partial beam 20 is supplied to the right eye 22 of the surgeon. A lens 23 of a tube, a prism system 25 and an ocular 27 are arranged in the beam path of the partial beams 19, 20. The left eye 21 perceives the object plane 7 inclined by a perspective angle α with respect to the optical axis 5. The right eye 22 perceives the object plane 7 inclined by a perspective angle −α with respect to the optical axis 5. Thereby, the surgeon obtains a stereoscopic impression of the region of the eye under surgery and arranged in the object plane 7.
For example, for removing the natural lens during a cataract operation it is necessary to remove the lens completely by sucking it off. It turned out that remaining portions of the lens of the eye are well visible to the surgeon when a retroillumination is employed which is sometimes also referred to as a red reflex illumination. Herein, light is emitted from an objective lens 3 side of the microscope through the pupil 32 (see
In practice, generating the red reflex and maintaining the red reflex during the surgical treatment, especially when the eye is moving, or the lens is changed, is often involving a considerable effort. Further attention has to be paid that for protection of the retina of the eye an intensity of the retroillumination has to be limited so that the red reflex cannot always be generated with the desired intensity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a microscopy system for eye surgery, which facilitates at least one of generating the red reflex, and limiting a stress on the retina of the eye under surgery, while generating an intense red reflex.
Herein, the invention relates to a microscopy system for eye surgery, the microscopy system comprising an objective lens for imaging an object plane of the objective lens, and a retroillumination system for generating at least one beam of retroillumination light directed towards the object plane from an objective lens side of the object plane.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the microscopy system for eye surgery is configured such that the beam of retroillumination light substantially comprises only visible light from a wavelength range greater than 540 nanometers, and in particular greater than 600 nanometers. According to an embodiment, the light of the retroillumination is at least one of red light and infrared light.
Herein, one underlying consideration is that the retina of the eye reflects mainly red light, which generates the retroillumination. Thus, the retina absorbs light of other colors, which contribute to a thermal stress on the retina rather than generating the red reflex. For generating an intense red reflex, only red light is irradiated into the eye, and an unnecessary stress on the retina by light of other colors is avoided. The irradiated red light is from a wavelength range which is effectively reflected by the retina. This does not exclude that the beam of retroillumination light contains light outside of this wavelength range. However, this should be the case only for a small part of the light, in particular a part of less than 60%. Preferably more than 50% of the light intensity of the beam of retroillumination light is within a wavelength range from 530 nanometers to 780 nanometers.
Preferably, the wavelength range of the beam of retroillumination light can be matched to an eye under surgery. It has been found that a wavelength dependency of the reflectivity of the retina differs between individuals, wherein the wavelength dependencies are especially different between the individuals of different ethnic groups. E.g. the wavelength dependency of the reflectivity of the retina can be measured in advance, and then the wavelength band used for the beam of retroillumination light, can be matched to the determined reflectivity of the retina, with regard to an optimization of the retroillumination.
The beam of retroillumination light is preferably generated by an appropriate light source, in particular a red light source, or by use of an appropriate color filter. According to an embodiment, the filter is disposed in a beam path of the retroillumination system, and the filter is non-transparent for light other than red light. According to a further embodiment, a mirror configured to reflect substantially only red light may also form this filter. The light source may comprise a light emitting diode (LED), in particular an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a laser, in particular a semiconductor laser, and any other type of light source.
According to an embodiment, the light source generates light having a broad spectrum, and a frequency-selective beam splitter is provided, which splits the light beam, generated by the light source, into a beam of standard illumination light and a beam of retroillumination light. A main ray of the beam of standard illumination light and a main ray of the beam of retroillumination light extend under different angles with respect to a plane, in which the main rays of observation beams of the microscope are arranged, wherein the angle of the beam of retroillumination light is smaller than the angle of the beam of standard illumination light.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the retroillumination system comprises a plurality of light sources, each for generating one beam of retroillumination light.
Herewith several beams of retroillumination light can be generated, wherein a main ray of each of the beams extends under a different angle towards a plane, in which the main rays of observation beams are arranged. At least one of the beams of retroillumination light enters the operated eye such that an appropriate red reflex is generated. Preferably the light sources can be switched on and off separately, for switching off those light sources, which do not contribute or contribute only a little to the generation of the red reflex during the configuration of the eye occurring during the operation. This in turn facilitates reducing the stress on the retina.
According to an embodiment, the light sources are arranged in a source plane along at least a portion of a circle.
Herein it is possible to arrange the circle circumferentially around an observer's pupil, i.e. around such a partial beam of the light beam on the image side which is selected by a zoom system or an ocular system for generating an image of the object plane for the user.
Further, it is possible to arrange the light sources in a source plane substantially uniformly, e.g. in a grid pattern.
As an alternative to the possibility of providing a plurality of light sources, it is also preferred to provide a light source having a light beam which is incident on a plurality of switchable light valve elements. The switchable light valve elements selectively block or allow the light to pass therethrough, for selectively generating beams of retroillumination light. In an embodiment, the light valve elements are configured to reflect the beams of retroillumination light.
According to an embodiment, a controller is provided selectively controlling a plurality of light sources and a plurality of light valve elements, respectively, such that only those beams of retroillumination light are switched on which traverse the object plane within selected regions.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the microscopy system for eye surgery is configured such that a cross section of the beam of retroillumination light is displaceable in a plane disposed in-between the objective lens and the object plane.
Thereby, it is possible to change an angle between a main ray of the beam of retroillumination light and a plane in which main rays of the observation beams of the microscope are arranged. Thus, the generation of the red reflex can be maintained even when the configuration of the eye under surgery varies during the surgical treatment.
According to an embodiment, a mirror for redirecting the beam of retroillumination light is disposed in a plane between the objective lens and the object plane and is displaceable in directions transverse to the optical axis of the objective lens. Further, it is possible to arrange the light source for generating the beam of retroillumination light such that it is displaceable in directions transverse to the optical axis of the objective lens.
According to an embodiment, there is provided a light color sensor for detecting light emerging from the object plane. The light color sensor generates a color signal representing a color of the detected light. A controller analyzes the color signal and determines a location of a cross section of the beam of retroillumination light in dependence of the color signal.
According to a further aspect, the invention provides a retroillumination system, which comprises a collimator for changing a convergence or divergence of the beam of retroillumination light. Thereby, it is possible to focus the beam of retroillumination light such that the beam becomes a small spot on the retina of the operated eye. It has been found that the red reflex generates a retroillumination with a high contrast, if the spot on the retina, on which the beam of retroillumination light is incident, is relatively small. Due to the variability of the convergence or divergence, respectively, of the beam of retroillumination light, such small spot can be generated even when the natural lens has not yet been removed and the eye is near-sighted or far-sighted. Further, when the lens of the eye has been removed, the convergence or divergence, respectively, of the beam of retroillumination light can also be adapted such that a small spot on the retina is illuminated.
According to an embodiment, a controller is provided to control the collimator for changing the convergence or divergence, respectively, with regard to an optimal retroillumination. Further, a camera may be provided, which derives an image of the object plane. The controller may then adjust the collimator in dependence of a contrast of the image captured by the camera.
According to a further aspect the invention provides a method of generating a retroillumination in an eye.
The foregoing as well as other advantageous features of the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Herein,
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1, shown in the schematic detailed representations of
Within the ray bundle 13, two zoom systems 15, 16 are disposed, each of which selecting an observation ray bundle 19, 20, respectively, out of the ray bundle 13 for supplying the observation ray bundle 19, 20 to an ocular, not shown in
A plurality of light sources 51 is arranged between the zoom systems 15, 16, 15′ and 16′ and the objective lens 3, each comprising a light emitting diode 53 and a collimating micro lens 55. In a plane oriented transverse to the optical axis 5 of the objective lens 3, the light sources 51 are arranged along circular lines 57 which surround optical axes 17, 18, 17′ and 18′ of the observation ray bundles 19, 20, 19′ and 20′, respectively.
Each of the light emitting diodes 53 emits red light, collimated by collimating micro lenses into substantially parallel beams of retroillumination light 59 extending towards the objective lens 3 and in parallel to the optical axis 5. The objective lens 3 is redirecting the beams of retroillumination light such that they converge towards the optical axis 5 within the ray bundle 11 on the object side and substantially intersect with each other at object plane 7. At the object plane, the beams enter the operated eye via the pupil of the eye and are incident on the retina of the eye for generating the red reflex. The light emitting diodes 53 emit only red light in order to reduce the thermal stress on the retina of the eye.
Further, a controller 61 is provided for switching the individual light sources 51 on and off.
Controller 61 facilitates switching on and off the light s sources 51 individually, and particularly in groups. Thus, particularly those groups of light sources 51 can be switched off which are arranged around a partial ray bundle, which is actually not used for observation by any of the surgeons.
Further, it is possible to switch off light sources 51 at sections of the circles 57, for achieving a retroillumination with a higher contrast. A semi-transparent mirror 63 is arranged within the beam path of each partial ray bundle 19, 20, 19′, 20′ for coupling a partial ray out of the respective partial ray bundle which is used to generate an image of the object plane 7 on a CCD chip 67 via a camera optics 65. The controller 61 reads the image information from the camera chip 67 and analyzes the image captured by the camera chip 67. Then the controller 61 selectively switches off some of the light sources 51 for optimizing the image captured by camera 67 with regard to achieving a better red reflex.
In the following, variants of the embodiments explained with reference to the
A microscopy system for eye surgery, partially shown in a schematic sectional representation of
The light beam 77 traverses an LCD array 79 having switchable liquid crystal elements, each selectively transmitting one of the colors red, green and blue. In a central region 73 of the liquid crystal array 79, the elements are switched such that only red light is transmitted. In a ring-shaped region 75 arranged around the central region 73, the elements are switched such that light of the colors red, green and blue is transmitted, i.e. altogether white light is transmitted.
Further, for taking an image with a camera 67 a, a semi-transparent mirror 63 a couples a further partial ray bundle out of a partial beam 20 a of a ray bundle 20 a on the image side above the objective lens 3 a. A controller 61 a analyzes the captured image with regard to an optimization of the red reflex. The controller 61 a drives the liquid crystal display 79 to adapt the position and the diameter of the central region 73 such that the red light beam 43 a transmitted by the central region 73 is matched to the shape of the pupil 32 a. Thus, the generation of the red reflex is optimized. The light beam 43 a enters the eye through the whole cross section of the pupil or a portion of the cross section of the pupil.
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1 b, shown in
The illumination system 35 b generates a beam of retroillumination light 43 b and a beam of standard illumination light 45 b. A white light source 93 and a collimator 94 generate the beam of standard illumination light 45 b, and a mirror 47 b above the objective lens 3 b couples the beam of standard illumination light into the beam path of the objective lens. The objective lens 3 b redirects the beam of standard illumination light 45 such that the main ray of the beam extends under an angle ε of about 7° with respect to a plane of main rays of the observation ray bundles 19 b, 20 b. A blade 87 partially covers the mirror 47 b partially for changing an intensity of the beam of standard illumination light 45 b. An actuator 89 is provided to displace the blade 87 within the plane of the mirror 47 b. The controller 61 b controls a driver 91 which drives the actuator 89.
As an alternative to the embodiment shown in
A light source 95 and a collimating lens 96 generate a beam of retroillumination light 43 b, and a mirror 41 b above the objective lens 3 b couples the beam into the beam path of the objective lens. An actuator 83 is provided to displace the mirror 41 b between different locations and transverse to an optical axis 5 b of the objective lens 3 b wherein
Although it is not shown in
Alternatively or in addition to the mirror 41 b, an LCD or a DMD may be provided to form the beam of retroillumination light 43 b with regard to at least one of its color and its shape, i.e. particularly its diameter, when entering the pupil. Thus, it is possible that substantially no intensity of the beam of retroillumination light 43 b is incident on a periphery of the pupil, and thus substantially its entire intensity enters the pupil and herewith the eye.
If the red reflex decreases during the surgical treatment as a result of a displacement of the eye or of another reason, the controller 61 b detects this by analyzing the image captured by the camera 67 a and changes the position of the redirecting mirror 41 b with regard to an optimization of the red reflex.
The following method may be employed:
The controller 61 b determines the dominating colors within a central region of the image captured by the camera 67 b. If the red reflex is satisfactory, the intensities I of the individual colors fulfill following relations:
In order to determine a movement direction of the actuator resulting in an improvement of the red reflex, the controller may start to actuate the actuator 83 at first in one arbitrary direction, and determine whether the result is improving, i.e. whether, for example, a ratio I(red) over I(blue) increases relative to a ratio I(red) over I(green). If this is the case, the movement is carried on in this direction; otherwise the actuator 83 is actuated into the opposite direction. This method may be continued, until a position is found for the mirror 41 b at which the above-mentioned relations for the red reflex are optimized.
A red reflex, generated by a not quite optimal position of the mirror 41 b has, among others, the property that a luminous intensity within the pupil and detected by the camera 67 b is not arranged symmetrically with respect to a center of the pupil. In particular, this may result in a somehow crescent-shaped illumination of the pupil by the retroillumination light. The controller 61 b may analyze this asymmetry in the image and may directly derive the movement direction for the actuator with regard to an optimization of the red reflex.
For localizing the red reflex within an image captured by the camera the following method may be employed.
At first those pixels of the image are marked which fulfill an appropriate color condition, for example the above-mentioned color conditions. Herein, also pixels are marked which are not arranged within the pupil and therefore do not contribute to the red reflex. For example, blood vessels arranged outside the pupil, and the like, may also fulfill the color condition.
On the other hand, it may happen that pixels, arranged within the pupil and within the region of the red reflex, do not fulfill the color condition. It is possible to process the image with the markings made therein by an algorithm, which combines areas with marked pixels, for example in such a manner that an unmarked pixel which is arranged between two adjacent marked pixels is also marked. In the same way unmarked pixels which are arranged at a distance to and in-between two marked pixels are also marked. This process may be repeated several times. By this procedure the contiguous marked areas in the image grow. Subsequently, a further algorithm may determine the largest contiguous marked area in the image and those contiguous marked areas which are not connected to the largest contiguous area may be deleted, i.e. the markings of these pixels are cancelled. What remains is one contiguously marked area of the image which can be assigned to the red reflex with high probability. Then the controller may analyze the shape of this contiguous marked area, and the controller may then further act on parameters of the retroillumination system to optimize the shape of the contiguous marked area towards a shape similar to a circular area.
As an alternative to the use of the camera 67 b, it is also possible to use only a single color sensor which, in contrast to the camera, does not provide location-dependent information about the image. The color sensor has a sensibility for the three colors and may also provide color signals, as it has been explained above for the central region of the image captured by the camera.
To increase a sensitivity of such process, the controller 61 b may modulate the light intensity emitted by the red light source 95. Accordingly, the color signal detected by the camera 67 b or the color sensor is also modulated in time, as far as it represents the red reflex. For the detection of the red reflex, the characteristic modulation frequency can be filtered out in order to increase the sensitivity, in particular when using the color sensor. A further improvement of the intensity or selectivity can be achieved, if a lock-in signal detection method is employed at the color sensor. Therein the light source 95 is preferably modulated in synchronized phase with the detection at the color sensor. The modulation frequency may be selected high enough to avoid observation of the resulting intensity variation by the human eye while looking through the microscope. A modulation below 100% is sufficient. Thus, it is for example sufficient to control the modulation of the retroillumination light to 10% of the average intensity.
Further, the controller may drive the actuator 89 via the driver 91 such that a portion of the beam of standard illumination light 45 b is within an optimized ratio to the illumination beam for the red reflex. Thereby, it can be achieved that an increase or improvement of the contrast with regard to the red reflex is sufficient for the illumination of the remaining field. As an alternative or supplement, it is also possible to improve the image processing by modulating the intensities of the source 93, as it has been explained before.
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1 c, shown in
The illumination beams 43 c and 45 c intersect at the object plane 7 c.
Here, too, it is possible to displace mirror 41 c transverse to the optical axis 5 c by an actuator with regard to an optimization of the red reflex.
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1 g shown in
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1 h shown in
A microscopy system for eye surgery 1 i shown in
Further, a polarizer 120 is arranged in the beam path of the beam 43 i of retroillumination light. The polarizer 120 is rotatable about the beam axis by an actuator 121 controlled by a controller 61 i. Thereby, it is possible to provide an optimized polarization for the beam 43 i of retroillumination light.
For further improving an appearance of the red reflex within each of the ray bundles 19 i, 20 i a further polarizer 122, having a function of an analyzer, is disposed in a beam path of the observation ray bundles 19 i, 20 i and actuated by an actuator 123 which is also controlled by the controller 61 i. The polarizer 122 is rotatable about axes of the ray bundles 19 i, 20 i by the actuator 123, and by an adjustment of the orientations of the polarizers 121 and 122 an optimized appearance of the red reflex is possible. Further, to reduce the thermal stress on the retina 34 i at the illuminated locations, the microscopy system for eye surgery 1 i, shown in
Herein, a luminous spot, generated by the beam of retroillumination light 45 i on the retina 34 i, has a diameter as small as possible, for example, a diameter of less than 1.5 mm. Only a maximum illumination stress tolerable for the retina 34 i limits a smallest diameter of the luminous spot, and as a result thereof, same depends also on the intensity of the beam of retroillumination light 45 i.
The displacement of optical elements 99 is controlled by a controller 61 i which evaluates an image of the object plane 7 i captured by a camera 67 i. Then the evaluation and the drive of the collimation optic are performed to optimize the quality of the red reflex retroillumination.
For executing an optimization method as described in the following, a mirror 41 i is displaceable to change or scan the location where the beam 43 i is incident on the retina 34 i. At first, the controller 61 i adjusts the position of the mirror 41 i via an actuator 125 such that a visible shadow border is visible in the image within a central region of the pupil 32 i of the eye 31 i. Then an actuator for displacing elements 99 is actuated until the shadow border appears with a maximum contrast in the image captured by the camera 67 i. Then the beam of retroillumination light 43 i is focused onto a very small spot on the retina 34 i of the eye 31 i, and herewith, a substantially optimal adjustment of the convergence of the beam of retroillumination light 43 i has been found. Then the controller 61 i restores the position of the mirror 41 i such that the red reflex retroillumination illuminates the pupil 32 i of the eye homogeneously. Herein, the displacement of the mirror is not restricted to translational displacement and may also comprise a rotation, a transverse motion or a tilt.
Firstly, the observation of the examined eye 31 k is performed via oculars 27 k of the microscopy system, the oculars being supplied with light in form of a left partial ray bundle 19 k and a right partial ray bundle 20 k via zoom systems 15 k and 16 k, respectively.
In the left partial ray bundle 19 k, a beam splitter 151 is provided for coupling out a beam 153 which is split by a further beam splitter 155 into further partial beams 157 and 159. A camera optics 161 is provided in the beam 157 such that the camera 163 may detect an image of the object plane 7 k. Image data, produced by the camera 163, are supplied to a controller 61 k via a data line 164. The partial beam 159 is also supplied to a camera optics 165 of a further camera 167 such that it can detect images of the object plane 7 k. Image data, produced by the camera 167, are also transmitted to the controller 61 k via a data line 168. Herein, a filter 169 is arranged in the beam 159, which has a transmission characteristic adapted to the color of the beam of retroillumination light provided by the illumination system 35 k. Thus, the filter 169 substantially blocks wavelengths which are not contained in the beam of retroillumination light. Thus, images captured by camera 167 represent intensity distributions which are mainly caused by the red reflex. These images of possibly weak intensity are amplified and coupled into the beam path of partial beam 19 k, whilst the controller 61 k transmits the relative image data via a data line 171 to a LCD display 173, which displays the data as images. Then the beam path of beam 19 k and the images are merged by a collimation optics 175 and a coupling mirror 177. This is done such that an observer who looks into the left ocular 27 k views a direct optical image of the object plane 7 k, as it is transported by the beam 19 k to the ocular, and he views as an overlay image to the direct image an amplified red reflex image, captured by the camera 167.
The recording of the red reflex images by the camera 167 and its coupling into the beam path by the display 173 has the following benefits: The intensity of the beam of retroillumination light which is to be provided by the illumination system 34 k can be decreased so far that the retroillumination light beam does not cause any damage to the retina even if it is focused precisely onto the retina of the eye 31 k. Thus it is possible to focus the beam of retroillumination light to a very small spot on the retina for generating a contrast-rich red reflex image. Then, even at low intensity, the camera 167 captures the image with a high quality, and the amplified image is coupled into the beam path 19 k. The camera 167 may comprise a light amplifier, such as a multi channel plate or the like.
Further, it is possible to use wavelengths for the beam of retroillumination light which the human eye cannot or can only barely perceive. These are, for example, wavelengths of the near infrared or the infrared. If the camera 167 is sensitive for these wavelengths, the camera 167 can thus detect intensity images at these wavelengths. The controller 61 k translates the relative image data into a color perceivable by the human eye, for example a green color, and then the image data are displayed on the display 173, as, for example, green images. It has been found that the retina of the human eye has a high reflectivity in the near infrared and the infrared qualifying this kind of light as being appropriate for a retroillumination.
Also in the right partial ray bundle 20 k beam splitters 151 and 177 are arranged to couple out a partial beam to be supplied to cameras 163 and 167, and to couple into the ray bundle 20 k images generated by a further LCD display 173. The arrangement of the cameras 167, 163 and the display 173 and of the corresponding optical components for the right partial ray bundle 20 k is symmetrical with respect to the arrangement of the left partial ray bundle 19 k, explained before. The observer, who looks into the oculars 27 k, thus perceives a stereoscopic image of the red reflex image.
The cameras 163 are standard light cameras and serve to detect images from the object plane 7 k which correspond to the images which an observer receives, when looking directly into the oculars 27 k. However, the images captured by the cameras 163 or their image data are transmitted from the controller 61 k to a head-mounted display 183 via a data line 181 and are displayed on screens thereof, integrated into the display device 183, as is schematically shown in
Thereby the observer, carrying the display unit 183 and having no opportunity to look directly into the oculars 27 k also perceives a stereoscopic image of the object plane 7 k. The controller 61 k processes the image data transmitted to the device 183 such that those images represented by the data are merged with those images captured by the cameras 167 and 163. Thus, a user carrying the display unit 183 will also perceive an image of the red reflex in green color for example.
With regard to a further reduction of the thermal stress on the retina of the eye 31 k, caused by the beam of retroillumination light, it is possible that the illumination system 35 k does not emit the beam of retroillumination light with a uniform intensity, but with a modulated intensity, for example, a pulsed intensity.
Herein, the illumination pulses are synchronized with the integration times of the cameras 167 such that the beam of retroillumination light is substantially switched off, when the cameras 167 are idle, i.e. do not integrate the incident light.
In the above-mentioned examples the illumination beams are either coupled into the beam path by a mirror above the objective lens of the microscopy system, or are generated directly at the objective lens by a light source, without employing a mirror for a redirection such that they are coupled into the beam path of the system directly. These both methods are interchangeable, and in each case a mirror for coupling-in the beam can be substituted by an appropriate light source for directly generating the illumination beam, and vice versa.
It is also possible to supply the illumination beams such that they do not traverse the objective lens, but run aside it in a direction towards the object plane. In particular, incisions or cutouts may be provided in the lenses of the objective lens to allow the illumination beams a free penetration through the objective lens.
A further variant of such an illumination system is shown in
In the previous embodiments the object plane has been observed via the oculars supplied with the light originating from the object plane through observation ray bundles 19, 20. However, in the context of the present application, it is provided to observe the object plane not only directly through oculars, but alternatively or auxiliarly to this, also by using a video system, which comprises a camera arranged within an observation beam, and which detects an image, which is displayed to an observer by a display device, such as a still image screen, a head-mounted display or the like.
The filters, used in the previously described embodiments, are each provided as transmission filters. However, it is also possible to realize a filter function corresponding to a transmission filter by a reflective filter. A filter in the sense of the present application may thus comprise a transmission filter and a reflective filter.
An advanced development of the microscopy system for eye surgery comprises a camera, in particular a video camera, and a controller with functions for determining the refractive power data of an eye to be examined or under surgery. The controller determines the refractive power data as at least one of spherical power, cylindrical power, and cylindrical axis, and it outputs the data for displaying them to a user. The controller evaluates information about the position of at least one of the entrance pupils, the adjustment of the observation system, and the adjustment of the illumination system of the microscopy system for eye surgery. In addition, the microscopy system for eye surgery preferably comprises an actuator, driven by the controller to change at least one adjustment parameter automatically, for example an illumination angle. This can be accomplished by the mirror 41 b and the actuator 83, as shown in
According to a first method the controller evaluates a brightness distribution within the pupil of the eye to be examined or under surgery, wherein the evaluation of the brightness distribution is performed according to the method of retinoscopy (sciascopy). The brightness distribution may be a distribution of the brightness of at least one of a red reflex and a distribution in another wavelength range, preferably a wavelength range within the infrared.
According to a second method the controller changes an adjustment of the illumination automatically, wherein for example, an illumination angle within the eye is changed. If the entrance pupil of the illumination system or the image of the entrance pupil, respectively, is not lying on the fundus of the eye, the camera views a light/shadow movement in the pupil of the eye upon variation of the illumination angle. The controller evaluates the speed and the direction of the light/shadow movement and derives therefrom the refractive power data.
A third method employs a controller, varying the position of the entrance pupil of the illumination system by an appropriate adjustment facility with an actuator until the image of the entrance pupil is lying on the fundus. In this case, as known from retinoscopy, a “flickering” of the pupil of the eye occurs upon changes of the illumination angle. I.e., no light/shadow border, which moves through the pupil, is visible any more, but only a uniform brightening-up or darkening of the whole pupil. The controller follows up the adjustments, made at the illumination system and initiated by the controller, to achieve this state. The controller uses this information to determine the refractive power data of the eye.
For all variants of these methods it is preferable to realize the illumination as a slit illumination such that the slit illumination may be oriented towards at least two different directions, being traverse to the optical axis, to measure a directional dependency of the refractive power data of the eye.
Summarized, a microscopy system for eye surgery with an objective lens is suggested, which provides a retroillumination system to generate a so-called red reflex illumination during an eye-surgical treatment, in particular during a cataract operation.
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|Clasificación de EE.UU.||359/389, 359/388, 606/4|
|Clasificación internacional||G02B21/18, G02B21/08, A61F9/007, G02B21/22, G02B21/06, A61B18/18, G02B21/00, G02B21/20|
|Clasificación cooperativa||G02B21/18, G02B21/0012, G02B21/20, G02B21/082|
|Clasificación europea||G02B21/20, G02B21/08B, G02B21/00M2, G02B21/18|
|19 Jul 2004||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: CARL-ZIESS-STIFTUNG TRADING AS CARL ZIESS, GERMANY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:OBREBSKI, ANDREAS;HAUGER, CHRISTOPHER;REIMER, PETER;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:015577/0673;SIGNING DATES FROM 20040524 TO 20040614
|24 Ago 2005||AS||Assignment|