Including Light Polarizing Means Patents (Class 351/215)
  • Patent number: 11839431
    Abstract: An optical system for observing reflected light from a fundus includes: an irradiation unit for irradiating an eye with light exited from a light source; a light-acceptance unit for accepting reflected light reflected on a fundus of the eye; and a polarization control unit for making light irradiated to the eye z-polarization axisymmetric with respect to an optical axis and blocking the z-polarization of reflected light reflected on the eye and directed to the light-acceptance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: TAMRON CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kodai Yamane
  • Patent number: 11744459
    Abstract: Disclosed are a data analysis method and a data analysis system for retinal nerve fibrous layer. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a peripapillary RNFL scanning image and a full-circumference RNFL thickness measurement data distribution image; obtaining a fundus scanning image, measuring a optic disc macular inclination angle; obtaining the upper and lower range of the RNFL scanning image, and measuring the upper and the lower RNFL thickness; obtaining an intersection position of an RNFL measuring ring and a blood vessel according to the canning image, and respectively correcting the upper and the lower RNFL thickness; performing a symmetry evaluation of the upper and the lower RNFL thickness according to the upper and the lower RNFL thickness correction value, and judging whether the RNFL data is abnormal. The system includes: image acquisition module, macular angle module, RNFL thickness module, RNFL thickness correction module and RNFL data evaluation module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: JOUNT SHANTOU INTERNATIONAL EYE CENTER OF SHANTOU UNIVERSITY AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
    Inventors: Kunliang Qiu, Mingzhi Zhang, Zhiqiang Guan
  • Patent number: 11662812
    Abstract: The disclosed eye-tracking systems may include a visible light display having visible light pixels, at least one infrared pixel positioned within bounds of the visible light display, and an infrared sensor positioned and configured to detect infrared light originating from the at least one infrared pixel and reflected from an eye of the user. Related head-mounted display systems and methods for eye tracking are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Jobe Fix, Andrew Wyman MacDonald, Dmitri Model, Mohammadhossein Daraeihajitooel, Javier San Agustin Lopez, Kirk Erik Burgess, Mohamed Hegazy, Scott Robert Ramsby, Sebastian Sztuk, Robert Dale Cavin
  • Patent number: 11536560
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a coherent light source; a transmission assembly configured to receive light emitted by the coherent light source, split the light into object light and reference light so that the object light and the reference light travel along different paths receive object light reflected by an object to be measured, and combine the object light reflected by the object to be measured and the reference light; and a photosensitive camera disposed at an output of the transmission assembly, and configured to receive combined light and process the combined light to record light intensity information capable of characterizing a spatial position of a surface of the object to be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: HEFEI BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuntian Zhang, Chunxu Zhang, Zhonghou Wu, Qiong Zhang, Ke Dai, Haipeng Yang, Peng Jiang
  • Patent number: 11399768
    Abstract: A miniature vein enhancer is operated in one of three modes to project an image of a patient's veins onto the imaged body region, aiding a practitioner in pinpointing veins for a venipuncture procedure (intravenous drip, withdrawing blood . . . ). In one embodiment that uses two wavelengths of light (e.g., using two lasers), the image is obtained using red or infrared light, and is projected using visible light. In another embodiment using two wavelengths of light, the vein image is obtained using the first wavelength (red or infrared), and a fluorescent material (e.g., cream) sensitive to the second wavelength is applied to the skin surface, so that transmission of the imaged vein locations using the second wavelength energizes the fluorescent cream to visualize the veins on the skin surface. A three laser embodiment uses a third wavelength (violet or ultraviolet) to detect surface topology and subtract that noise from the vein image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: AccuVein, Inc.
    Inventors: Fred Wood, Ron Goldman, Stephen P. Conlon, Vincent Luciano
  • Patent number: 11202674
    Abstract: Improved systems and methods for performing laser based treatment of hard and soft tissues, e.g., bone, skin, and connective tissue, are described. The system can feature a laser adapted to produce a peak output power significantly higher than the output power produced by conventional laser-based dental treatment systems. In some instances, the system features high definition imagers for real-time, on-axis visualization and spatial measurement of the surgical region, which can include rendering 3D images. In some implementations, the system is adapted to deliver a laser beam polarized to align with the collagen fibers of bone tissue, to enhance cutting performance. In some implementations, the system is adapted to image the treatment region with polarized light, which can enable improved visualization of nerves and other anatomical structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Convergent Dental, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Kerbage, Ali Badreddine
  • Patent number: 11006823
    Abstract: An instrument includes: one or more scanning mirrors to receive an OCT sample beam and to scan the sample beam in two orthogonal directions; and an optical system to receive the sample beam and provide the sample beam to an eye. The optical system includes: a first lens having a first focal length, disposed along an optical path from the scanning mirror(s) to the eye at a distance from the cornea which is approximately equal to the first focal length, and a second lens disposed along the optical path between the first lens and the scanning mirror(s). The second lens receives the sample beam from the scanning mirror(s) and provides the sample beam to the first lens as a converging beam such that, as the sample beam is scanned, the sample beam passes through a pivot point located along an optical axis between the eye and the first lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: AMO Development, LLC
    Inventor: Richard J. Copland
  • Patent number: 10092450
    Abstract: Zero parallax visual axis glasses for corneal pre-marking include a target light, an alignment light, a polarized lens and a short pass filter. In some embodiments the targeting light and/or alignment light are LEDs and/or configured to blink. In some embodiments the target light is red. In certain embodiments the alignment light is white. The polarized lens can be placed on a user's non-dominant eye and block light originating from the target light and/or alignment light. The short pass filter can be configured to allow light from the target light to only pass through in one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Inventor: Dan Smith
  • Patent number: 9321394
    Abstract: Lamp comprising one or more LEDs: A controllable power unit providing power supply to the LED lamps, A control unit for adjusting the light generated by the lamp, wherein said control unit includes an image sensor generating images of the illuminated area of the lamp, and a processor for processing the images to detect the presence of an eye in a presumably dangerous area, said control unit generating a control signal for reducing the amount of light generated by the LED during the detection of a human face, in particular of an eye in said presumably dangerous area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Zedel S.A.
    Inventors: Boris Bouffay, Alain Maurice
  • Patent number: 9289122
    Abstract: A camera for capturing an image of an object, for example an eye. The camera has at least two light sources and an image-sensing system having two image sensors. A multiple branch optical system transmits outgoing light from the light sources to the object, and transmits incoming light from the object to the image-sensing system. The multiple branch optical system includes an autofocusing element such as a variable power optical element that varies the focus of the incoming light. There is also an image display. There is a controller that controls the operation of the light sources, controls acquisition of images by the image-sensing system, and controls the display of images on the image display. The controller activates an autofocus light source and uses the resulting captured image to automatically adjust the image exposure parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Optimum Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Randal B. Chinnock, Frederick G. Bargoot, George Grubner, Jason P. Julian, Sarah Latta, William Weber
  • Patent number: 9192295
    Abstract: In an OCT system, the autocorrelation signal depends only on the strength of the signal in the object arm scattered back from a patient's retina and is a result of different reflections from different layers of the retina interfering with each other. The strength of the autocorrelation signal depends on how well focused the system is. Normally the autocorrelation signal is treated as noise. However by removing the reference path signal, the autocorrelation signal is easily measured and analyzed. The optimal focus can the then be found by adjusting the focus value until the autocorrelation signal is maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: L&R MEDICAL INC.
    Inventors: Mark Hathaway, Rishard Weitz
  • Publication number: 20150133902
    Abstract: A polarization beam splitter selectively decouples detection light onto a detector such that it has a polarization direction that differs from the emitted illumination light. This enables the detection of the light scattered back in the eye lens at a high level of accuracy, since stray light from reflections at optical components of the light path is suppressed. In the generating of photo disruptions or other incisions, the ray exposure of the retina may be reduced in that the incisions being furthest away from the laser are induced first such that laminar gas inclusions with an existence duration time of at least 5 seconds result. In this manner the laser radiation propagated in the direction of the retina in further incisions are scattered and partially reflected such that the influence impinging upon the retina is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Matthias REICH, Dieter GREBNER, Andreas KOCH, Juergen LEDERMANN, Manfred DICK, Marco HANFT
  • Publication number: 20150085255
    Abstract: An optical system (120) for detecting optical aberrations of light from an object (101), the optical system comprising: a reference light-source (102) providing collimated reference light; an optical element (212) configured to focus at least one collimated light beam incident on the optical element (212) to a plurality of focal points in a conjugate object plane (214), the optical element (212) being arranged in an optical path between the reference light-source (102) and the object (101) for transmitting a plurality of reference light beams towards the object (101); and a wavefront sensor (112) configured to detect a property indicative of an optical aberration of light incident on the wavefront sensor; wherein the optical element (212) is further arranged to transmit a plurality of reflected guide star light beams resulting from reflection of the reference light beams at the object (101) towards the wavefront sensor (112).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: PROFUNDUS AB
    Inventor: Jorgen Thaung
  • Patent number: 8960910
    Abstract: Light from an exit pupil of an illumination unit is directed to a beam splitter which directs the light to an objective. The retina is illuminated, if a real image of the exit pupil of the illumination unit and a real image of an entrance pupil of a camera unit are formable. The objective forms a real intermediate image of the retina between the objective and the camera unit. The beam splitter directs the light from the retina to the camera unit, while causing the path of the illumination and the path of the imaging to deviate for non-overlapping images of the exit pupil and the entrance pupil in the crystalline lens. A relay lens system forms a real image of the intermediate image on a detecting component with the light reflected from the retina for transforming the image into an electric form to be shown on a screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Optomed Oy
    Inventors: Ilkka Antero Alasaarela, Jussi Soukkamaki, Ilkka P. Jolma
  • Patent number: 8960909
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes an irradiation unit configured to irradiate a measurement object with a measuring beam, a restriction unit configured to restrict the measuring beam from being incident on the measurement object and to reflect or scatter the measuring beam, and a polarization control unit configured to control, based on the measuring beam reflected or scattered by the restriction unit, polarization of the measuring beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Makihira, Yoshihiko Iwase, Makoto Sato, Kazuhide Miyata, Hiroyuki Shinbata, Ritsuya Tomita, Daisuke Kibe
  • Patent number: 8740383
    Abstract: System and method directed towards providing full and even illumination of a patient's retina through lighting integrated into a handheld fundus lens. By integrating the lighting, the method and system reduces and even eliminate many lens artifacts and reflections. By increasing the accuracy, quality, and field of view afforded during clinical examination of the retina, the method and system will allow practitioners to make more accurate diagnoses and will increase safety during retinal surgical procedures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventor: Paul Andrew Yates
  • Publication number: 20140104576
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analyzing the anatomy of a patient's eye with circular or rotated polarized laser beams, or with laser beams of different wavelengths are disclosed. One system includes a polarization beam-splitter and a quarter-wave plate, wherein the quarter-wave plate is configured to circularly rotate a laser beam received from a laser that is transmitted and passes through the polarization beam-splitter, and to transform a circularly rotated back-reflected beam to a linearly polarized laser beam that is perpendicular to the beam that was transmitted through the polarization beam-splitter. Substantially all of the back-reflected beam is directed to a photo-detector for analysis. A Faraday rotator subsystem may be substituted for a polarization beam-splitter. An optical system including a laser that generates a laser beam of a first wavelength for therapeutic treatment, and another laser that generates a laser beam of a second wavelength for measurement is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventor: AMO DEVEPLOPMENT, LLC
  • Patent number: 8678592
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting fixation of at least one eye of a subject on a target includes an optical illumination system, an optical detection system, and a signal processing system adapted to communicate with the optical detection system. The signal processing system is configured to calculate at least one of a time-frequency distribution or an Auto-Regressive spectral estimation of the detection signal to provide a frequency distribution of the detection signal at a plurality of times for use in determining periods in which the subject's eye is fixed on the target based on the first and second frequency signatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University
    Inventors: Boris I. Gramatikov, David L. Guyton, Kristina Irsch
  • Patent number: 8597283
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic laser system and an operating method. The laser system includes a laser, a scanner unit, a focusing lens and a beam splitter that directs radiation that reaches the beam splitter from the direction of the area of examination through a confocal aperture orifice onto a detector. The invention also includes a control unit with which a cornea arranged in the examination area can be irradiated by the laser at illumination laser power and detection light can be registered by the detector. The cornea is scanned in three dimensions, in that the cornea is irradiated at multiple points and detection light is registered from there. Based on the detection light, a laser cut in the cornea is identified and the form and/or position of the laser cut calculated. The invention further relates to refractive laser surgery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
    Inventors: Mark Bischoff, Manfred Dick, Juergen Ledermann
  • Publication number: 20130258281
    Abstract: An adaptor adapts an SLR camera for use as an ophthalmic viewing and imaging device. The adaptor is mounted to the camera between the camera body and the camera lens, and includes optical components arranged to direct illumination of the interior of the eye. The adaptor includes a first light source configured to provide a maximum level of illumination that is sufficient to identify structures of interest within an interior of an eye. The adaptor directs light from a second, external source to provide a level of illumination sufficient to obtain a fundus image. Optical components within the adaptor define a first optical pathway for directing light from the first light source to the lens, a second optical pathway for directing light from the second light source to the camera lens, and a third optical pathway for directing light from the camera lens through the adaptor to the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Tufts University
    Inventor: Christopher Pirie
  • Patent number: 8534838
    Abstract: A device for performing distance measurements on an eye. The device includes an interferometer, focuses at least one measurement beam records backscattered radiation and interferometrically generates a measurement signal displaying structures of the eye by time-domain, spectral-domain or Fourier-domain coherence reflectometry, has an adjustment apparatus for laterally and/or axially displacing the focus in the eye or for varying a polarization state of the measurement beam and has a control apparatus which actuates the interferometer, wherein the control apparatus generates a plurality of A-scan individual signals from the backscattered radiation, combines these to an A-scan measurement signal and actuates the adjustment apparatus for displacing the position of the focus or for varying the polarization while recording the backscattered radiation from which the control apparatus generates the A-scan individual signals is being recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
    Inventors: Roland Barth, Roland Bergner, Wilfried Bissmann, Rudolf Murai von Buenau, Martin Hacker, Ingo Koschmieder, Adolf Friedrich Fercher, Branislav Grajciar, Ralf Ebersbach
  • Publication number: 20130182222
    Abstract: Various embodiments include systems and methods for ocular fundus examination reflection reduction. An illumination polarizer assembly can be configured to be user-attachable to an ophthalmological device and can be configured to position a first optical polarizer in an illumination portion of a light path associated with the ophthalmological device. An observation polarizer assembly can be configured to be user-attachable to the ophthalmological device and can also configured to position a second optical polarizer in an observation portion of the light path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PATENT FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Paul Andrew Yates, Thomas A. Mendel, Kenneth Tran
  • Publication number: 20130150840
    Abstract: A surgical microscope system (100) for ophthalmology, in particular for cataract surgery, is proposed, which comprises an illumination unit (10) and a viewing unit (30), the surgical microscope system (100) being set up to irradiate illumination light (15) of the illumination unit (10) into an eye (50) arranged on the objective side of the surgical microscope, the surgical microscope system (100) comprising a detection unit (20) by means of which a scattering (15?) of the illumination light (15) irradiated into the eye (50) is determinable, in the form of a scattering pattern and/or scattering coefficient, by sensing a portion of the illumination light (15) radiated back by the eye (50).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (SCHWEIZ) AG
    Inventor: Leica Microsystems (Schweiz) AG
  • Patent number: 8328357
    Abstract: A viewing device usable by a surgeon to make an accurate corneal mark during an eye surgery procedure may be a face or head-mounted device to free the surgeon's hands. The device incorporates a light producing apparatus, such as an LED, that may be positioned to be coaxial or otherwise substantially co-aligned with a line-of-sight of the surgeon's dominant eye, and thus match the patient's line of sight with the surgeon's line of sight. The device include polarizing filters that cooperate with the light to minimize or even eliminate parallax viewing of a corneal light reflex by the surgeon's non-dominant or other eye. Further, the device may also include magnification lenses to enhance the view of the eye as seen by the surgeon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventor: Andrew P. Davis
  • Publication number: 20120307205
    Abstract: One embodiment disclosed is a compact wavefront sensor module to be attached to or integrated with an ophthalmic instrument for eye examination and/or vision correction procedures. The front lens for relaying the wavefront from the eye to a wavefront sampling plane is positioned at the optical input port of the wavefront sensor module. The front lens is shared by the wavefront sensor and the ophthalmic instrument, and the wavefront sensor module can be made very compact while still being able to cover a large eye wavefront measurement diopter range. Another embodiment disclosed is an ophthalmic device for measuring properties of a subject eye including an ophthalmic instrument integrated with the wavefront sensor module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: CLARITY MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Yan Zhou, William Shea
  • Patent number: 8282211
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and device to image the fundus of the eye using polarized light which includes circular polarization. The invention is most broadly comprised of a device to generate polarization states of light, including circularly polarized light (i.e. potentially combinations of elliptically polarized light and depolarized light combined, elliptically polarized light alone, or circularly polarized light with depolarized light or circularly polarized light alone). This light can be used with any fundus imaging device including but not limited to fundus cameras, scanning laser ophthalmoscopes, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopes, optical coherence tomography instruments, with or without some form of wavefront correction. This is a change from common fundus imaging systems which use randomly polarized light or linearly polarized light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Inventors: Melanie C. W. Campbell, Juan Manuel Bueno Garcia
  • Publication number: 20120229768
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting fixation of at least one eye of a subject on a target includes an optical illumination system, an optical detection system, and a signal processing system adapted to communicate with the optical detection system. The signal processing system is configured to calculate at least one of a time-frequency distribution or an Auto-Regressive spectral estimation of the detection signal to provide a frequency distribution of the detection signal at a plurality of times for use in determining periods in which the subject's eye is fixed on the target based on the first and second frequency signatures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: The Johns Hopkins University
    Inventors: Boris I. Gramatikov, David L. Guyton, Kristina Irsch
  • Patent number: 8262224
    Abstract: A binocular indirect ophthalmoscope that is adapted to be worn on a wearer's head includes a headband and illumination housing having an illumination source and a viewer module wherein the viewer module is moveable between an in-use and an out-of-use position. A mounting assembly is provided for allowing the viewer module to be pivoted between the in-use and the out-of-use positions and also allows adjustment and locking to the wearer's face in the in-use position. The mounting assembly includes a magnetic securement of the viewer module in both the in-use and out-of-use positions. Part of the magnetic securement operates as an electrical contact to automatically provide power to the illumination source in the in-use position. An optical polarizer provides intensity adjustment of the light energy transmitted to the eye being examined. Preferably the illumination source is a light emitting diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Propper Manufacturing Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph Nussenbaum
  • Publication number: 20120182398
    Abstract: Provided are an apparatus for obtaining status information of a crystalline lens and equipment including the same. The apparatus generates a reference light and directs the reference light to be perpendicularly incident to the crystalline lens. At least one light receiving unit that is disposed beyond a visual field of the eyeball is configured to directly receive scattered lights generated when the reference light incident from the light source unit to the crystalline lens is scattered against the crystalline lens. The apparatus calculates thickness information of the crystalline lens using information about the scattered lights received by the at least one light receiving unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Dae-Shik Seo, Byoung-Yong Kim
  • Publication number: 20120162604
    Abstract: A binocular indirect ophthalmoscope that is adapted to be worn on a wearer's head includes a headband and illumination housing having an illumination source and a viewer module wherein the viewer module is moveable between an in-use and an out-of-use position. A mounting assembly is provided for allowing the viewer module to be pivoted between the in-use and the out-of-use positions and also allows adjustment and locking to the wearer's face in the in-use position. The mounting assembly includes a magnetic securement of the viewer module in both the in-use and out-of-use positions. Part of the magnetic securement operates as an electrical contact to automatically provide power to the illumination source in the in-use position. An optical polarizer provides intensity adjustment of the light energy transmitted to the eye being examined. Preferably the illumination source is a light emitting diode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventor: Joseph Nussenbaum
  • Publication number: 20110264081
    Abstract: A polarization beam splitter selectively decouples detection light onto a detector such that it has a polarization direction that differs from the emitted illumination light. This enables the detection of the light scattered back in the eye lens at a high level of accuracy, since stray light from reflections at optical components of the light path is suppressed. In the generating of photo disruptions or other incisions, the ray exposure of the retina may be reduced in that the incisions being furthest away from the laser are induced first such that laminar gas inclusions with an existence duration time of at least 5 seconds result. In this manner the laser radiation propagated in the direction of the retina in further incisions are scattered and partially reflected such that the influence impinging upon the retina is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
    Inventors: Matthias Reich, Dieter Grebner, Andreas Koch, Juergen Ledermann, Manfred Dick, Marco Hanft
  • Publication number: 20110237999
    Abstract: Devices and approaches for activating cross-linking within corneal tissue to stabilize and strengthen the corneal tissue following an eye therapy treatment. A feedback system is provided to acquire measurements and pass feedback information to a controller. The feedback system may include an interferometer system, a corneal polarimetry system, or other configurations for monitoring cross-linking activity within the cornea. The controller is adapted to analyze the feedback information and adjust treatment to the eye based on the information. Aspects of the feedback system may also be used to monitor and diagnose features of the eye 1. Methods of activating cross-linking according to information provided by a feedback system in order to improve accuracy and safety of a cross-linking therapy are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: Avedro Inc.
    Inventors: David Muller, John Marshall, Marc D. Friedman, Stephen Blinn, Ronald Scharf, Pavel Kamaev, Radha Pertaub
  • Publication number: 20110224658
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic laser system and an operating method. The laser system includes a laser, a scanner unit, a focusing lens and a beam splitter that directs radiation that reaches the beam splitter from the direction of the area of examination through a confocal aperture orifice onto a detector. The invention also includes a control unit with which a cornea arranged in the examination area can be irradiated by the laser at illumination laser power and detection light can be registered by the detector. The cornea is scanned in three dimensions, in that the cornea is irradiated at multiple points and detection light is registered from there. Based on the detection light, a laser cut in the cornea is identified and the form and/or position of the laser cut calculated. The invention further relates to refractive laser surgery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2009
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
    Inventors: Mark Bischoff, Manfred Dick, Juergen Ledermann
  • Patent number: 7967440
    Abstract: A system includes a light pattern generator having light spots for illuminating front and back surfaces of a cornea with polarized light; one or more detectors for receiving one or more of first spot images from light reflected off the front surface, and second spot images from light reflected off the back surface, the light reflected off the front surface having a first polarization and the light reflected off the back surface having a second polarization; a polarization element in an optical path between the back surface and the one or more detectors, the polarization element being configured to attenuate an intensity of the light reflected off the front surface by an amount greater than an amount by which it attenuates the light reflected off the back surface; and a processor for determining a geometric characteristic of the cornea using at least the second plurality of spot images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: AMO Wavefront Sciences LLC.
    Inventors: James Copland, Daniel R. Neal, Thomas D. Raymond, Stephen W. Farrer, Paul Pulaski
  • Publication number: 20110149245
    Abstract: A device for performing distance measurements on an eye. The device includes an interferometer, focuses at least one measurement beam records backscattered radiation and interferometrically generates a measurement signal displaying structures of the eye by time-domain, spectral-domain or Fourier-domain coherence reflectometry, has an adjustment apparatus for laterally and/or axially displacing the focus in the eye or for varying a polarization state of the measurement beam and has a control apparatus which actuates the interferometer, wherein the control apparatus generates a plurality of A-scan individual signals from the backscattered radiation, combines these to an A-scan measurement signal and actuates the adjustment apparatus for displacing the position of the focus or for varying the polarization while recording the backscattered radiation from which the control apparatus generates the A-scan individual signals is being recorded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
    Inventors: Roland Barth, Roland Bergner, Wilfried Bissmann, Rudolf Murai von Buenau, Martin Hacker, Ingo Koschmieder, Adolf Friedrich Fercher, Branislav Grajciar, Ralf Ebersbach
  • Patent number: 7950801
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device, for measuring the contrast of fringes in a Michelson interferometer at full field, comprising a Wollaston prism for diverting two perpendicular incident polarizations into two different emergent directions, said diverting means being arranged within the interferometer as substitute for a single polarizer. The device is of application to a Michelson interferometer used in an OCT tomographical system and comprising means for obtaining interferometric contrast without use of a modulation technique or synchronous detection methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignees: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire de Paris, Mauna Kea Technologies
    Inventors: François Lacombe, David Lafaille
  • Publication number: 20110116040
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic apparatus and a method for the contactless observation, examination, treatment, and/or diagnosis of an eye. The apparatus is structurally based on a fundus camera or an ophthalmoscope. An illumination beam path extends from a first illumination source to the eye and is fitted with a perforated mirror and imaging optics, and an observation beam path extends from the eye to a detector via the imaging optics and through the perforated mirror. The arrangement additionally comprises a beam path for scanning illumination which extends from a second illumination source to the eye and is fitted with a scanning unit, a lens, and a beam splitter in addition to the imaging optics. The scanning unit that is arranged in the beam path for scanning illumination is designed as (an) electrostatically or/and galvanometrically driven bidirectional or unidirectional tilting mirror(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
    Inventors: Detlef Biernat, Daniel Bublitz, Andreas Brodschelm, Thomas Mohr, Stefan Richter
  • Publication number: 20110096292
    Abstract: An adaptive optics apparatus includes a first light modulating unit configured to perform modulation in a polarization direction of one of two polarized light components in light emitted from a light source, a changing unit configured to rotate the light modulated by the first light modulating unit by 90 degrees, a second light modulating unit configured to modulate the light changed by the changing unit in the polarization direction, and an irradiating unit configured to irradiate a measurement object with the light modulated by the second light modulating unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenichi Saito
  • Publication number: 20110096293
    Abstract: An adaptive optics apparatus includes a first conversion unit configured to convert a polarization direction of one of two polarization components of light to a polarization direction of the other of the polarization components, the light being emitted by a light source; a light modulation unit configured to modulate the two polarization components of light converted by the first conversion unit in the polarization directions that have been converted; a second conversion unit configured to convert directions of polarization components of the light modulated by the light modulation unit to directions that intersect with each other; and an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the object with the light that is converted by the light modulation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Futoshi Hirose, Kenichi Saito
  • Patent number: 7896498
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and method for separately detecting and measuring specularly reflected light and diffusely reflected light following illumination of an eye by light. The apparatus and method of the present invention facilitates substantial separation of the diffusely reflected light from light specularly reflected from the eye after passing through one or more elements of the eye, for example, the cornea, lens, retinal vasculature, the nerve fibre layer and/or the photoreceptors. The collection of these separate streams of independent optical signals to appropriate detection systems provides specificity and accuracy in determination of optical properties of one or more elements of the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
    Inventors: Rejean Munger, Neil Lagali
  • Patent number: 7845798
    Abstract: A system includes an optical system having two beam splitters (a dichroic beam splitter and a polarizing beam splitter), which are designed to provide three separate beam paths for observing an object. The dichroic beam splitter is designed to separate two beam paths depending on the wavelength of the light of the respective beam path. The polarizing beam splitter is designed such that two beam paths are separated depending on a direction of polarization of the light of the respective beam path. The measuring light is linearly polarized after having passed the polarizing beam splitter and may be influenced with respect to the state of polarization by a retarding plate. The returning measuring light incident on the polarizing beam splitter is linearly polarized and also polarized in such a direction that the returning measuring light is transported through the polarizing beam splitter towards the analyzing detector with a high efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignees: Carl Zeiss Surgical GmbH, Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Christoph Kuebler, Daniel Bublitz, Markus Seesselberg
  • Patent number: 7819526
    Abstract: The components of a fundus camera for observing an eye (11)—namely, an illumination device (1) to illuminate an image field of the eyeground (12) and an image recording device (14) onto which the eyeground (12) is projected by means of a projection device (10)—are positioned to be confocal. The illumination device (1) is so structured that a periodic light pattern is created against the eyeground (12) within the illuminated image field. Further, an offset medium is present to offset the pattern by less than one period. The image recording device (14) is connected to an evaluation unit (22) in order to combine at least three recordings illuminated with offset patterns into a single photograph. A single, unstructured, extremely sharply focused photograph of the eyeground (12) may thus be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Linos Photonics GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Axel Kasper, John Robert Zinter
  • Publication number: 20100245768
    Abstract: A viewing device usable by a surgeon to make an accurate corneal mark during an eye surgery procedure may be a face or head-mounted device to free the surgeon's hands. The device incorporates a light producing apparatus, such as an LED, that may be positioned to be coaxial or otherwise substantially co-aligned with a line-of-sight of the surgeon's dominant eye, and thus match the patient's line of sight with the surgeon's line of sight. The device include polarizing filters that cooperate with the light to minimize or even eliminate parallax viewing of a corneal light reflex by the surgeon's non-dominant or other eye. Further, the device may also include magnification lenses to enhance the view of the eye as seen by the surgeon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventor: Andrew Peter Davis
  • Publication number: 20100157246
    Abstract: A system includes an optical system having two beam splitters (a dichroic beam splitter and a polarizing beam splitter), which are designed to provide three separate beam paths for observing an object. The dichroic beam splitter is designed to separate two beam paths depending on the wavelength of the light of the respective beam path. The polarizing beam splitter is designed such that two beam paths are separated depending on a direction of polarization of the light of the respective beam path. The measuring light is linearly polarized after having passed the polarizing beam splitter and may be influenced with respect to the state of polarization by a retarding plate. The returning measuring light incident on the polarizing beam splitter is linearly polarized and also polarized in such a direction that the returning measuring light is transported through the polarizing beam splitter towards the analyzing detector with a high efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicants: Carl Zeiss Surgical GmbH, Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Christoph Kuebler, Daniel Bublitz, Markus Seesselberg
  • Patent number: 7635186
    Abstract: There is provided a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor which can repetitively perform a measurement at high speed and at short measurement intervals. An illuminating optical system includes a first polarizing optical member to alternately change a polarization condition to a first polarized light or a second polarized light, and illuminates a pulse light from a laser light source part to an ocular fundus of a subject eye through a first polarizing optical member. A light receiving optical system includes a second polarizing optical member to select each polarized light component of the reflected light from the subject eye illuminated according to the polarization condition of the first polarizing optical member, and a first and a second light receiving parts to alternately receive the reflected light of the selected polarized light component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Mariko Kobayashi, Tatsuo Yamaguchi, Toshifumi Mihashi
  • Publication number: 20090310083
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and device to image the fundus of the eye using polarized light which includes circular polarization. The invention is most broadly comprised of a device to generate polarization states of light, including circularly polarized light (i.e. potentially combinations of elliptically polarized light and depolarized light combined, elliptically polarized light alone, or circularly polarized light with depolarised light or circularly polarized light alone). This light can be used with any fundus imaging device including but not limited to fundus cameras, scanning laser ophthalmoscopes, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopes, optical coherence tomography instruments, with or without some form of wavefront correction. This is a change from common fundus imaging systems which use randomly polarized light or linearly polarized light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Inventors: Melanie C.W. Campbell, Juan Manuel Bueno Garcia
  • Patent number: 7500754
    Abstract: Light from a light source is divided into S-polarization and P-polarization light. The P-polarization light is incident to a retinal illumination system for high-power image and the S-polarization light is incident to a retinal illumination system for low-power image. These lights are set center illumination and ring illumination by aperture diaphragms. Reflection light flux from a cornea under the high-power retina illumination light passes through the center of a perforated mirror, and thus light reflected from the retina and the perforated mirror is received through a high-power optical system to achieve an excellent retinal image having no flare. Likewise, reflection light flux from the cornea under the low-power retina illumination light is reflected from the perforated mirror, and thus light reflected from the retina and passing through the center of the hole is received through a low-power optical system to achieve an excellent retinal image having no flare.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Tatsuo Yamaguchi, Toshifumi Mihashi
  • Patent number: 7484849
    Abstract: An ophthalmologic observation apparatus of a confocal laser scanning microscopy system for photographing and observing a target site of an eye of an examinee, includes a controller that, based on a number of image lines of one frame of a motion image to be displayed, a number of reflection faces of a polygon mirror, and a detection result of a photo sensor, controls a galvano mirror and an image forming unit so as to form each image line of each frame of the motion image based on the photo-receiving signals of a laser beam reflected on same reflection face of the polygon mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Akita, Akihiro Fujishiro
  • Patent number: 7441898
    Abstract: The eye is positioned relative to a detection device in such a manner as to co-operate with the device to form a Fabry-Perot cavity having a main optical axis and comprising two opposite reflecting faces on the main optical axis, one of these two faces being constituted by a stationary reflecting element and the other being formed by the cornea of the eye. An incident laser beam is injected into said cavity so as to be centered on the main optical axis of the Fabry-Perot cavity, the cornea is aligned laterally and longitudinally relative to the main optical axis in such a manner as to obtain longitudinal interference between the go and the return laser beams reflected between the two reflecting faces of the cavity, and an optoelectronic detector is used to detect the intensity I of said interference as a function of time. The invention is applicable to measuring intraocular pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignees: Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Lille, Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, Universite du Droit et de la Sante de Lille
    Inventors: Jaouad Zemmouri, Patrick Dubois, Pierre-Paul Elena, Jean-François Rouland, Alexis Debut
  • Publication number: 20080231807
    Abstract: An in-vivo high resolution lateral and axial tomography system of the retina, is provided, including a Michelson interferometer, generating a tomographical image by full field OCT interference with Z sweeping, adaptive optical correction apparatus, correcting the wave fronts coming from and going to the eye, including a reference source, a deformable mirror and wave surface analysis apparatus, detection apparatus producing an image from an interferometric measurement using the OCT principle and apparatus for focussing the wave surface analyser. The apparatus for focussing are embodied and controlled, synchronously with the Z sweeping to force the deformable mirror to adopt an additional curvature, such as to combine the input light source and detection apparatus at a given depth in the retina.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFQES
    Inventors: Francois Lacombe, David Lafaille, Marie Glanc, Eric Gendron