Color compensating retinal safety filter
AssigneeNovartis AG
InventorsAlex N. Artsyukhovich, T. Scott Rowe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A filter and method for filtering an optical beam are disclosed. One embodiment of the filter is an optical filter for filtering an incident light beam, comprising an optically effective material characterized by: a light transmittance of less than 1% for wavelengths below 420 nm; and a light transmittance for wavelengths complementary and near complementary to wavelengths below 420 nm that, combined with the transmittance for wavelengths below 420 nm, will yield a filtered light beam having a luminosity of about 90% and an excitation purity of 5% or less. The complementary wavelengths can be wavelengths above about 640 nm, wavelengths above about 660 nm, and/or wavelengths from about 540 nm to about 560 nm.
Claims15
A method for color-compensated filtering of an optical beam, comprising the steps of:
- providing an illumination light source operable to produce the optical beam and direct the optical beam along an optical path;
- positioning an optical filter in the optical path such that the optical beam is incident on the optical filter, the optical filter being operable to receive the incident optical beam and produce an output light beam, wherein the optical filter comprises an optically effective material characterized by:
- a light transmittance of less than 1% for wavelengths below 420 nm;
- and
- a light transmittance for wavelengths complementary and near complementary to wavelengths below 420 nm that, combined with the transmittance for wavelengths below 420 nm, will result in the output light beam having a luminosity of about 90% and an excitation purity of 5% or less;
- and
- directing the output light beam onto a site to illuminate the site.
A method for color-compensated filtering of an optical beam, comprising the steps of:
- providing an illumination light source operable to produce the optical beam and direct the optical beam along an optical path;
- directing the optical beam onto a site to illuminate the site, wherein a reflected portion of the optical beam is reflected from the site and to a set of viewing optics;
- positioning an optical filter in the set of viewing optics such that the reflected portion of the optical beam is incident on the optical filter, the optical filter being operable to receive the reflected portion of the optical beam and produce an output light beam, wherein the optical filter comprises an optically effective material characterized by:
- a light transmittance of less than 1% for wavelengths below 420 nm;
- and
- a light transmittance for wavelengths complementary and near complementary to wavelengths below 420 nm that, combined with the transmittance for wavelengths below 420 nm, will result in the output light beam having a luminosity of about 90% and an excitation purity of 5% or less;
- and
- directing the output light beam to an observer at the set of viewing optics.
A color-compensating ophthalmic illuminator, comprising:
- a power supply;
- an illumination light source operable to produce an optical beam and direct the optical beam along an optical path;
- an optical filter, positioned in the optical path such that the optical beam is incident on the optical filter, the optical filter being operable to receive the incident optical beam and produce an output light beam, wherein the optical filter comprises an optically effective material characterized by:
- a light transmittance of less than 1% for wavelengths below 420 nm;
- and
- a light transmittance for wavelengths complementary and near complementary to wavelengths below 420 nm that, combined with the transmittance for wavelengths below 420 nm, will result in the output light beam having a luminosity of about 90% and an excitation purity of 5% or less;
- and
- a set of optics for directing the output light beam to a site to illuminate the site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.