Ocular biometer

Apparatus for measuring the characteristics of the eye comprising:

• (a) an illumination source to create an optical wavefront;
• (b) one or more aperture sharing elements for transmitting the optical wavefront to the eye, the wavefront reflecting from various surfaces of the eye;
• (c) a relay lens arrangement for focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (d) a baffle to eliminate noise;
• (e) one or more reticles through which the reflected optical wavefront is passed to cast a shadow pattern;
• (f) a screen onto which the shadow pattern is directed;
• (g) a camera to image the shadow pattern on the screen;
• (h) a computer to analyze the information generated by the shadow pattern.

A method for measuring characteristics of the eye compromising:

• (a) generating an optical wavefront;
• (b) transmitting the optical wavefront to the eye, the wavefront reflecting from various surfaces of the eye;
• (c) passing the wavefront through a baffle for removal of optical wavefront noise;
• (d) passing the reflected optical wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (e) directing the shadow pattern towards a screen;
• and
• (f) analyzing the shadow pattern on the screen to produce measurement data of the characteristics of the wavefront, thereby providing measurement characteristics of the eye.

A method for measuring the characteristics of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) passing the wavefront through a baffle for removal of optical wavefront noise;
• (d) transmitting the optical wavefront to the eye, the wavefront reflecting from various surfaces of the eye;
• (e) focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (f) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (g) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (h) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (i) analyzing the information imaged on the camera.

A method for measuring a predetermined characteristic of the eye comprising:

• (a) generating a collimated light beam;
• (b) directing the beam into the eye wherein the beam is reflected from the eye;
• (c) directing the reflected beam through a first reticle to develop a shadow pattern;
• (d) directing the shadow pattern through a second reticle to develop a moire pattern;
• and
• (e) analyzing the moire pattern to produce measurement data of the eye.

A method for measuring the refractive characteristics of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to the retinal surface of the eye, the wavefront reflecting from the retinal surface of the eye;
• (d) focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (e) passing the wavefront through a baffle for removal of optical wavefront noise;
• (f) reforming the wavefront;
• (g) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (f) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (g) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (h) analyzing the information recorded by the camera.

A method for measuring the topographic characteristics of corneal elements of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) passing the wavefront through a nulling lens so that the focus is near the center of curvature of the cornea;
• (d) directing the optical wavefront to the epithelial surface of the eye, the wavefront reflecting from the epithelial surface of the eye;
• (e) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (f) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (g) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (h) analyzing the information recorded by the camera.

A method for measuring the the topography of the endothelial surface of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront globally to the endothelial surface of the eye, the wavefront reflecting from the endothelial surface of the eye;
• (d) focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (e) spatial filtering the focused wavefront;
• (f) reforming the wavefront;
• (g) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (h) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (i) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (j) analyzing the information recorded by the camera.

A method for measuring the thickness of the cornea of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating one or more optical wavefronts;
• (b) passing the wavefronts through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefronts to both the epithelial and endothelial surfaces of the eye, the wavefronts reflecting from both said surfaces;
• (d) discriminating the reflected wavefronts by spectral or polarization characteristics;
• (e) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (f) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (g) recording the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (h) analyzing the information recorded by the camera.

A method for measuring the pupil of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront through the pupil of the eye to the retina, the wavefront reflecting from the retina of the eye;
• (d) directing the illumintion onto a screen;
• (i) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (j) analyzing the information recorded by the camera.

A method for measuring the optical refractive power of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to the retina of the eye, the wavefront relecting from the retina of the eye;
• (d) focusing the wavefront reflected from the retina of the eye;
• (e) spatial filtering the focused wavefront;
• (f) reforming the wavefront;
• (g) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (h) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (i) imaging the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (j) analyzing the information imaged on the camera to obtain the optical refractive power of the eye.

A method for measuring a spatially resolved refraction of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to the retina of the eye, the wavefront reflecting from the retina of the eye;
• (d) focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (e) spatial filtering the focused wavefront;
• (f) reforming the wavefront;
• (g) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (h) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (i) recording the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera connected to computing means;
• (j) analyzing a predetermined specific spatial or angular portion of the eye's field of view from the information recorded on the camera.

A method for measuring the direction of the line of sight of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to the eye;
• (d) imaging the reflected light from the eye at the vertex of the cornea;
• (e) measuring the position of the glint of the eye;
• (f) measuring the position of the centroid of the pupil of the eye;
• (g) analyzing the measurement information.

A method for measuring the vergence of the eyes comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to both eyes;
• (d) imaging the reflected light from the eye at the vertex of the cornea;
• (e) measuring the position of the glint of both eyes;
• (f) measuring the position of the centroid of the pupil of both eyes;
• (g) analyzing the measurement information by comparing the line of sight of both eyes.

A method for analyzing an optical wavefront comprising:

• (a) generating shadow patterns from the optical wavefront;
• (b) collecting the shadow patterns generated;
• (c) digitizing the shadow patterns;
• (d) accumulating the digital images into a single spatial domaine;
• (e) converting the spacial domaine to a spatial frequency domaine;
• (f) determining the predominant harmonics in the frequency domaine;
• (g) correlating the predominant harmonics to the wavefront figure in defined axes;
• (h) calculating a three dimensional optical domaine wavefront figure derived from the defined axes;
• (i) analyzing the measurements of the wavefront figure.

A method for measuring the refractive characteristics of the eye comprising:

• (a) creating an optical wavefront;
• (b) passing the wavefront through one or more aperture sharing elements;
• (c) directing the optical wavefront to the eye, the wavefront reflecting from the various surfaces of the eye;
• (d) focusing the wavefront reflected from the eye;
• (e) passing the wavefront through a baffle to eliminate noise;
• (e) spatial filtering the wavefront to eliminate ambient noise;
• (f) reforming the wavefront;
• (g) passing the wavefront through one or more reticles to cast a shadow pattern;
• (h) directing the shadow pattern onto a screen;
• (i) recording the shadow pattern on the screen with a camera to convert the screen image to spatial digital data;
• (j) converting the spatial digital data to spatial frequency data;
• (k) determining the dominant spatial frequency;
• (l) correlating the dominant spatial frequency to the spherical component along the corresponding axis of the wavefront;
• (m) determining the figure of the entire wavefront with the figures of the component axes.