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US 5,349,398 AGranted
Ophthalmometer system
AssigneeThe Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
InventorCharles J. Koester
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ophthalmometer system is provided which includes a white light source for illuminating a cornea during surgery, along with an infrared light generator for imaging concentric rings onto the cornea and a detection system for receiving the reflected infrared rings and providing them to a display to enable the surgeon to see the corneal topology as indicated by the nonconcentricity or concentricity of the reflected rings. The surgeon can thus view the cornea topology concurrently with surgical operations on the eye.
Claims31
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with first component light that is visible to a surgeon;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with second component light having at least one characteristic different from the first component light, wherein the second means for illuminating includes a reticle means for generating a ringed pattern to illuminate the cornea;
- and
- third means for directing the second component light to a corneal topography measuring apparatus while excluding said first component light.
1 more element
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with first component light that is visible to a surgeon;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with second component light having at least one characteristic different from the first component light;
- and
- third means for directing the second component light to a corneal topography measuring apparatus while excluding said first component light;
- wherein the first means for illuminating comprises a source of white light having a band of wavelengths missing.
2 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with first component light that is visible to a surgeon;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with second component light having at least one characteristic different from the first component light;
- and
- third means for directing the second component light to a corneal topography measuring apparatus while excluding said first component light;
- wherein the first means for illuminating comprises a white light source and wherein the second component light is chopped.
2 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with first component light that is visible to a surgeon;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with second component light having at least one characteristic different from the first component light;
- and
- third means for directing the second component light to a corneal topography measuring apparatus while excluding said first component light;
- wherein the first means for illuminating comprises a white light source and wherein the white light source is substantially continuous.
2 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with first component light that is visible to a surgeon;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with second component light having at least one characteristic different from the first component light and including infrared light;
- and
- third means for directing the second component light to a corneal topography measuring apparatus while excluding said first component light;
- wherein the third means comprises a camera sensitive only to infrared light.
2 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with light having at least a first wavelength component in the visible spectrum;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength component;
- third means for providing first wavelength component light reflected for viewing the cornea during a surgical operation;
- and
- fourth means for directing second component wavelength light reflected off the cornea to a corneal topography imaging apparatus while excluding said first component wavelength light, said apparatus having means for displaying corneal topography information in response to the second component wavelength light, to thereby provide sufficient light to illuminate the cornea for and during surgical operations, while enabling corneal topography and curvature information to be displayed concurrently with corneal illumination;
- wherein the second means for illuminating includes a reticle means for generating a ringed pattern to illuminate the cornea.
3 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with light having at least a first wavelength component in the visible spectrum;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength component;
- third means for providing first wavelength component light reflected for viewing the cornea during a surgical operation;
- and
- fourth means for directing second component wavelength light reflected off the cornea to a corneal topography imaging apparatus while excluding said first component wavelength light, said apparatus having means for displaying corneal topography information in response to the second component wavelength light, to thereby provide sufficient light to illuminate the cornea for and during surgical operations, while enabling corneal topography and curvature information to be displayed concurrently with corneal illumination;
- wherein the third means comprises filtering means for transmitting first wavelength component light reflected off the cornea while reflecting second wavelength component light.
3 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with light having at least a first wavelength component in the visible spectrum;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with light having a second wavelength component different from the first wavelength component;
- third means for providing first wavelength component light reflected for viewing the cornea during a surgical operation;
- fourth means for directing second component wavelength light reflected off the cornea to a corneal topography imaging apparatus while excluding said first component wavelength light, said apparatus having means for displaying corneal topography information in response to the second component wavelength light, to thereby provide sufficient light to illuminate the cornea for and during surgical operations, while enabling corneal topography and curvature information to be displayed concurrently with corneal illumination;
- and
- a hot mirror for combining the first and second wavelength component light, wherein the first wavelength component light is white light and the second wavelength light is infrared light;
- and
- wherein the first means for illuminating and the second means for illuminating generate light which is incident on the cornea generally along coincident paths substantially along the central axis of the cornea.
5 more elements
An optical system for illuminating the cornea during surgery and for measuring corneal topography, comprising:
- first means for illuminating the cornea with light having at least a first wavelength component in the visible spectrum;
- second means for illuminating the cornea with light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength component;
- third means for providing first wavelength component light reflected for viewing the cornea during a surgical operation;
- and
- fourth means for directing second component wavelength light reflected off the cornea to a corneal topography imaging apparatus while excluding said first component wavelength light, said apparatus having means for displaying corneal topography information in response to the second component wavelength light, to thereby provide sufficient light to illuminate the cornea for and during surgical operations, while enabling corneal topography and curvature information to be displayed concurrently with corneal illumination, and wherein the corneal topography imaging apparatus displays information indicating the sphericity of the cornea.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.