Spectral bio-imaging of the eye
AssigneeApplied Spectral Imaging Ltd.
InventorsTamir Gil, Dario Cabib, Mike Adel, Robert A. Buckwald, Eli Horn
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Abstract
A spectral bio-imaging method for enhancing pathologic, physiologic, metabolic and health related spectral signatures of an eye tissue, the method comprising the steps of (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager; (b) illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through the optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue; and (c) attributing each of the pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby providing an image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue.
Claims56
A spectral bio-imaging method for enhancing spectral signatures of an eye tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- and
- (c) attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby providing an image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue.
A method of evaluating a medical condition of a patient comprising the step of enhancing spectral signatures of an eye tissue of the patient by:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissue of the patient with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a light spectrum for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- (c) attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby providing an image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue;
- and
- (d) using said image to evaluate the medical condition of the patient.
An apparatus for providing a display of an image presenting an eye tissue, wherein each pixel in said image is assigned a color or intensity according to a spectral signature of a tissue element from which it is derived, thereby enhancing the spectral signature of the eye tissue comprising:
- (a) an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) an illumination source for illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris;
- and
- (c) an image display device for displaying the image;
- wherein the image is realized by viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- and further by attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby providing the image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue.
A spectral bio-imaging method for obtaining a spectrum of a region of an eye tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- and
- (c) displaying a spectrum associated with said region.
A spectral bio-imaging method for enhancing spectral signatures of an eye tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a high throughput spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- and
- (c) attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature in a predefined spectral range, thereby providing an image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue.
A method of evaluating a medical condition of a patient comprising the step of enhancing spectral signatures of an eye tissue of the patient by:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a high throughput spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissue of the patient with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a light spectrum for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- (c) attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature in a predefined spectral range, thereby providing an image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue;
- and
- (d) using said image to evaluate the medical condition of the patient.
An apparatus for providing a display of an image presenting an eye tissue, wherein each pixel in said image is assigned a color or intensity according to a spectral signature of a tissue element from which it is derived, thereby enhancing the spectral signature of the eye tissue comprising:
- (a) an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) an illumination source for illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris;
- and
- (c) an image display device for displaying the image;
- wherein the image is realized by viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue and further by attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature in a predefined spectral range, thereby providing the image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue.
A spectral bio-imaging method for enhancing spectral signatures of at least two eye tissues, each of a different spectral signature, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissues with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissues through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissues;
- (c) selecting spectral ranges highlighting the different spectral signatures of each of the at least two eye tissues;
- and
- (d) generating an image enhancing the different spectral signatures of the at least two eye tissues.
A spectral bio-imaging method for enhancing blood vessels of an eye tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye tissues with light via the iris, viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- (c) employing an algorithm highlighting a spectral signature of blood vessels;
- and
- (d) generating an image enhancing the blood vessels.
An apparatus for providing a display of an image presenting an eye tissue in which blood vessels are enhanced by a color or intensity according to a spectral signature specific thereto, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) an illumination source for illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris;
- and
- (c) an image display device for displaying the image;
- wherein the image is realized by viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- and further by attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby enhancing the spectral signature of blood vessels in the eye tissue.
A spectral bio-imaging method for extracting a spectral signature of a first portion of a layer of an object including at least two layers, each of said at least two layers has different spectral characteristics, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an optical device being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the object with light, viewing the object through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a continuous spectrum of light for each pixel of the object;
- (c) using said continuous spectrum of light of each pixel of the object for generating a spectral image of the object in which the first portion is identifiable;
- (c) identifying in said spectral image the first portion of the layer and a second portion being adjacent said first portion;
- and
- (d) accounting for spectral characteristics of said second layer, extracting the spectral signature of the first portion.
A method of evaluating a medical condition of a patient comprising the step of extracting a spectral signature of a retinal or choroidal blood vessel of a retina or choroid of an eye by:
- (a) providing an optical device being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) illuminating the eye with light, viewing the eye through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a continuous spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye;
- (c) using said continuous spectrum of light of each pixel of the eye for generating a spectral image of the eye in which the retinal or choroidal blood vessel is identifiable;
- (c) identifying in said spectral image the retinal or choroidal blood vessel and a tissue being adjacent to the retinal or choroidal blood vessel;
- (d) accounting for spectral characteristics of said tissue, extracting the spectral signature of the retinal or choroidal blood vessel;
- and
- (e) using said spectral signature to evaluate the medical condition of the patient.
An apparatus for providing a display of an image presenting an eye tissue and a marking of an oxygenation state of at least one blood vessel therein, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) an optical device for eye inspection being optically connected to a spectral imager;
- (b) an illumination source for illuminating the eye tissue with light via the iris;
- and
- (c) an image display device for displaying the image;
- wherein the image is realized by viewing the eye tissue through said optical device and spectral imager and obtaining a spectrum of light for each pixel of the eye tissue;
- by attributing each of said pixels a color or intensity according to its spectral signature, thereby providing the image enhancing the spectral signatures of the eye tissue;
- and further by marking in context of the at least one blood vessel the oxygenation state thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.