Apparatus and method for measuring the anterior chamber diameter of the eye
OwnerCharles D. Kelmaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for measuring the anterior chamber diameter of the eye is disclosed in which a device illuminates the opposite end points of the annular groove. A gauging device cooperates with the illuminating device so as to provide to the viewer through a goneal assembly, a recognizable signal corresponding to a measure of the distance between the end points for gauging the distance.
Claims14
In an ocular apparatus having a goneal assembly positionable proximate to the anterior surface of the cornea for viewing the presence of light, at first and second opposite end points of a diameter of the annular groove, said goneal assembly having a goneal housing and a longitudinal axis approximately coinciding with the optic axis when said assembly is in an operable position, said optic axis passing approximately through the midpoint of said diameter, said annular groove being formed by the anterior surface of the iris and the posterior surface of the cornea, the annular groove being bounded by a light-impervious ciliary body outwardly of the groove with respect to the optical axis of the eye, the improvement comprising:
- light means cooperative with said goneal assembly for directing light toward the eye;
- flange means including first and second flange portions extending laterally from said goneal housing so as to be anterior and proximate to the corneal surface of the eye and at first and second opposte sides of said optic axis, respectively, when said goneal assembly is in an operable position;
- and
- color means cooperating with said flange means for transmitting light beams onto the surface of the eye in the form of a first and second series of lines of light at opposite sides of the optic axis, each line of light being of a different color than and adjacent to other lines of light in the same series, said lines of light being spaced at predetermined distances from one another and adapted to illuminate said first and second end points with first and second colored lines of light from said first and second series, respectively, when the light is directed through said color means in regions corresponding to the annular groove and in regions corresponding to said light-impervious ciliary body, the colors of said first and second lines illuminating said first and second end points being visible through said goneal assembly whereby said anterior chamber diameter is determinable from the color of said first and second colored lines and corresponds to the predetermined distance therebetween.
In an ocular apparatus as claimed in claim 17, the anterior chamber diameter of human eyes having a dimensional range with a predetermined maximum and minimum dimension, wherein said first series is a mirror image of said second series with respect to said optic axis, each series having an innermost line and an outermost line with respect to said optic axis, the perpendicular distance measured along a diameter passing through said optic axis between said innermost line of said first and second series being less than or equal to said minimum dimension, the perpendicular distance measured along a diameter passing through said optic axis between said outermost line of said first and second series being greater than or equal to said upper dimension.
In an ocular apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein each line of light is in the shape of an arc of a circle, said circle having a common origin, approximately coinciding with the optic axis.
In an ocular apparatus having a goneal means positionable proximate to the anterior surface of the cornea for viewing the presence of light at first and second opposite end points of a diameter of the annular groove formed by the anterior surface of the iris and the posterior surface of the cornea and bounded by a light-impervious ciliary body outwardly of the groove with respect to the optic axis of the eye, said goneal means having a longitudinal axis approximately coinciding with said optic axis when said goneal means is in an operable position, said optic axis passing approximately through the midpoint of said diameter, the improvement comprising:
- light means for directing light toward the eye;
- and
- means cooperating with said light means for transmitting light beams onto the surface of the eye in the form of a first and second series of lines of light at opposite sides of said optic axis, each line of light being adjacent to other lines of light in the same series, said lines of light being spaced at predetermined distances from one another and adapted to illuminate said first and second end points with first and second lines of light from said first and second series, respectively, when the light is directed through said means to regions corresponding to the annular groove and to regions corresponding to said light-impervious ciliary body, said first and second lines illuminating said first and second end points being visible through said goneal means whereby said anterior chamber diameter is determinable from the positions of said first and second lines and corresponds to the predetermined distance therebetween.
In an ocular apparatus having a goneal assembly positionable proximate to the anterior surface of the cornea for viewing the presence of light at first and second opposite end points of a diameter of the annular groove formed by the anterior surface of the iris and the posterior surface of the cornea and bounded by a light-impervious ciliary body outwardly of the groove with respect to the optic axis of the eye, said goneal assembly having a longitudinal axis approximately coinciding with said optic axis when said assembly is in an operable position, said optic axis passing approximately through the midpoint of said diameter, the improvement comprising:
- light means cooperative with said goneal assembly for directing light toward the eye;
- and
- color means cooperating with said light means for transmitting light beams onto the surface of the eye in the form of a first and second series of lines of light at opposite sides of said optic axis, each line of light being of a different color than and adjacent to other lines of light in the same series, said lines of light being spaced at predetermined distances from one another and adapted to illuminate said first and second end points with first and second colored lines of light from said first and second series, respectively, when the light is directed through said color means to regions corresponding to the annular groove and to regions corresponding to said light-impervious ciliary body, the colors of said first and second lines illuminating said first and second end points being visible through said goneal assembly whereby said anterior chamber diameter is determinable from the color of said first and second colored lines and corresponds to the predetermined distance therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.