US 2009/0157062 A1Published application

Systems and methods for treating glaucoma and systems and methods for imaging a portion of an eye

AssigneeCarl Zeiss Meditec AG

InventorsChristoph Hauger, Peter Andrews, Werner Nahm, Ralf Kuschnereit, Martin Hacker, Gabor Scharioth

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Abstract

Systems and methods are described for imaging an eye portion or for treating glaucoma in an eye of a patient. In a first step an optical microscopic image of a portion of the eye is acquired. In the optical microscopic image a distinguishable anatomical structure is identified to predict a location of a volume portion to be imaged three-dimensionally. Three-dimensional imaging of the located volume portion is performed by acquiring an optical coherence tomography image of the located volume portion. The volume portion is treated by either directing a laser beam to the volume portion or inserting an implant based on the OCT-image.

Claims26

Dependent claims

System for imaging a volume portion of an eye, the system comprising:

an optical microscopic apparatus;
and
an OCT-imaging apparatus,
wherein the optical microscopic apparatus comprises:
a light source for illuminating a part of the eye;
an imaging optics for imaging the illuminated part of the eye to an image plane of the imaging optics;
a spatially resolving detector arranged in the image plane for acquiring an optical microscopic image of the part of the eye;
and
an image processing system for analyzing the acquired optical microscopic image, wherein the analyzing comprises identifying at least one distinguishable anatomical structure in the optical microscopic image based on the optical microscopic image and at least one reference image comprised in a data storage to predict a location of the volume portion;
wherein the OCT-imaging apparatus comprises:
a beam source for generating a measurement beam and a reference beam;
an OCT-controlling system for directing the measurement beam merely to the volume portion using the predicted location of the volume portion;
an interferometer for interferometrically superimposing the reference beam with a light beam emanating from the volume portion;
a detector for detecting the interferometrically superimposed light beams;
and
a data processor system for computing a representation of the volume portion based on the detected superimposed light beams.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/000,477Filed 13 Dec 2007
Published: 18 Jun 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A61B 3/13
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: ophthalmic microscopes
A61B 3/102
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: for optical coherence tomography [OCT]
A61B 3/14
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: arrangements specially adapted for…
A61F 9/008
Methods or devices for eye surgery: using laser