Uniform illumination of ophthalmic surgical microscopes with fiber optic bundles and homogenizers

Abstract

An optical system for forming uniform illumination is disclosed. The optical system includes a light source coupled to a plurality of first light carriers providing a plurality of light intensities, and a second light carrier coupled to the plurality of first light carriers. The second light carrier spatially homogenizes the plurality of light intensities to form a homogenized light intensity. The optical system further includes an illumination module coupled to the second light carrier and operable to receive the homogenized light intensity.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] This section provides information to help better understand the various aspects of this disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read from this perspective and do not constitute an admission of prior art.

[0002] Ophthalmic microscopes are typically designed to provide high-contrast and detailed imaging of all areas of the eye. The illumination system of an ophthalmic microscope provides light to illuminate an area of ​​the eye (e.g., the corneal plane) during ophthalmic surgery. While these illumination systems provide illumination to the eye, they still suffer from uneven light distribution and provide undesirable color mixing in the area being observed (e.g., the corneal plane). Additionally, these systems typically experience bending losses in the optical waveguides as the microscope arm and / or optical head move. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts further described in the following detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to serve as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] Some embodiments herein relate to an optical system including a light source coupled to a plurality of first light carriers providing a plurality of light intensities and a second light carrier coupled to the plurality of first light carriers. The second light carrier spatially homogenizes the plurality of light intensities to form a homogenized light intensity. The optical system further includes an illumination module coupled to the second light carrier and operable to receive the homogenized light intensity.

[0005] Some embodiments herein relate to an optical system including a light source coupled to a light carrier. The light carrier spatially homogenizes multiple light intensities to form a homogenized light intensity. The optical system further includes an optical head having an illumination module coupled to the light carrier and operable to receive the homogenized light intensity. The optical head is spaced apart from the light source. Attached Figure Description

[0006] A more complete understanding of the subject matter of this disclosure can be obtained by referring to the following specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 Example microscopes are shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0008] Figure 2 This disclosure demonstrates the operability of various aspects of coupling to a microscope (e.g., ...). Figure 1 (e.g., a microscope) or an example optical system integrated with a microscope.

[0009] Figure 3A The first end of the randomized fiber bundle is shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3B The second end of the randomized fiber bundle is shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4A An optical fiber bundle with a bundle splitter bar is shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4B The branched fiber bundles are shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4C Fiber bundles with fiber optic splitters are shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 Example embodiments of a second optical carrier according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0015] Figure 6 An example embodiment of a second light carrier having a hexagonal shape is shown according to various aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0016] It should be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples of different features for implementing various different embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the content of this disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes and should not be construed as limiting the subject matter.

[0017] Various ophthalmic microscopes utilize single-core optical fibers or liquid light guides (LLGs) as waveguide media. While LLGs offer good light transmittance, they also have several drawbacks. For example, LLGs have poor mechanical reliability, especially at transport temperatures, which are typically below -40°C and sometimes above 70°C. Additionally, the seals protecting the liquid inside the LLG are prone to breakage, potentially leading to air bubble formation within the LLG. Once these seals break, the damage is irreversible. Furthermore, the lifespan of LLGs is typically only about 2 to 4 years, making them unsuitable for long-life equipment. Another issue with LLGs is their large permissible bending radius, which prevents optomechanical engineers from designing flexible cable routing paths for ophthalmic microscopes.

[0018] In some ophthalmic microscopes, there may be fiber bundles that propagate light from a remotely positioned source (such as a xenon source) to its illumination optics. However, these fiber bundles are not random, and there are no beam homogenizing components or equalizers following the fiber bundles. As a result, the light intensity distribution is non-uniform, and "hot spots" with higher light intensity can be clearly seen in the middle of the projected beam at the corneal plane.

[0019] As used herein, when referring to fiber bundles or other optical carriers, the term "randomization" refers to placing the optical carrier within a ferrule, sheath, or other holder / retaining device (e.g., intentionally placing one or more fibers of a fiber bundle). For example, with a randomized fiber bundle, the relative positions of one or more fibers within the randomized fiber bundle can be changed from their input position to another position at the output of the fiber bundle. In this way, light waves can enter at one location and exit at different locations within the randomized fiber bundle.

[0020] In other words, light entering the input end of a randomized fiber bundle (or other optical carrier) may or may not have the same corresponding position at the output end of the randomized fiber bundle relative to each fiber within the bundle. As an example, if light enters the randomized fiber bundle at the top portion of the input end, the light will propagate through the fibers of the randomized fiber bundle and may exit at the bottom portion of the output end. In this example, the fiber has a top position in the randomized fiber bundle at the input end and a bottom position in the randomized fiber bundle at the output end. It should be noted that, as used herein, the randomized fiber bundle and / or optical carrier may or may not have a one-to-one mapping from input to output. However, in some embodiments, the randomized fiber bundle and / or optical carrier may substantially not have a one-to-one mapping.

[0021] Therefore, some embodiments herein involve utilizing a light carrier that may include, for example, a bundle of optical fibers combined with a beam homogenizer to generate a spatially homogenized beam for ophthalmic illumination applications. In various embodiments disclosed herein, different light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (e.g., red, green, and blue LEDs) are mixed to obtain white light and can be remotely located within a microscope system. In some embodiments, a module containing a randomized bundle of optical fibers combined with a cladding rod homogenizer can be used to route the beam to the corneal plane. The cladding rod homogenizer can spatially homogenize light intensity and mix the colors of the LEDs.

[0022] In some embodiments, the system described herein can have various advantages over currently available optical systems. For example, one advantage of using a randomized fiber bundle as the light carrier is that the wiring can be more flexible compared to a single-core fiber. Remote light sources (e.g., red, blue, and green LEDs), the randomized fiber bundle, and the cladding rod homogenizer can be integrated using simple and standard miniature type A (SMA) connectors.

[0023] In another example, the randomized fiber bundle discussed herein may contain tiny borosilicate fibers with core diameters ranging from about 15 μm to 100 μm, about 20 μm to 70 μm, and / or about 30 μm to 70 μm. In some embodiments, the core diameter may be about 50 μm. Approximately 1,000 to 2,000 of these fibers may be filled to form an effective region ranging from about 0.5 mm to 4 mm. In some embodiments, 1,400 of these fibers are filled to form an effective region of about 2 mm and are randomly arranged. Randomization of the individual fibers can contribute to spatial intensity homogenization, especially when the input light is spatially quasi-Gaussian (e.g., an LED source is inherently spatially quasi-Gaussian, where the central hot spot monotonically decreases radially toward the edges of the beam). Furthermore, the fiber bending macrolayer loss is proportional to the fiber core diameter, and for a given bending radius, the fiber with a larger core diameter has a higher bending loss than the fiber with a smaller core diameter. Therefore, in some embodiments, the use of micron-sized optical fibers (e.g., core diameters of about 15 μm to 100 μm) allows the fiber bundle to bend to a bending radius of about 2.5 mm to 10 mm in the short term and to a bending radius of about 15 mm to 35 mm in the long term, thereby providing flexibility when wiring the fiber bundle.

[0024] In various embodiments, as a further advantage, the different optical systems described herein allow the light source, light engine, and / or illumination source to be mounted anywhere within the optical system, since light can propagate through flexible optical fibers. The optical fibers can be fused at the input end to achieve a higher fill fraction and bonded with epoxy resin at the output end. A higher fill fraction can provide higher transmittance. In some applications, only the input end may need to be fused. However, in some embodiments, both ends can be either fused or epoxy-bonded. In some embodiments, fused fiber bundles can provide more than about 20% higher transmittance compared to unfused or epoxy-bonded fiber bundles. Furthermore, in various embodiments, excellent spatial homogenization and color mixing can be achieved by adding an equalizer at the output end.

[0025] In some embodiments, the second optical channel (e.g., the homogenizer) may include a thin cladding layer that protects the core material from contact with other materials. Using this cladding layer, the homogenizer can be assembled in a unique convex-concave SMA adapter, making it easier to couple with fiber bundles and integrate with remotely placed light sources, as well as into existing lighting systems.

[0026] Figures 1 to 2 An example microscope system 100 is shown in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 1 It is a stereoscopic view of microscope system 100, and Figure 2 Some operational aspects of the microscope system 100 are illustrated. In some embodiments, the microscope system 100 may be an ophthalmic microscope system. For clarity, they will be described collectively. Figures 1 to 2 .

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the microscope system 100 may include a base 101 connected to a floor stand 102 having wheels 103a to 103d (collectively referred to as wheels 103). Although Figure 1 A microscope system 100 with a floor stand 102 is shown, but in some embodiments, the microscope system 100 may be mounted on a table, cabinet, wall, or floor. In some embodiments, the microscope system 100 may be a desktop microscope system. A base 101 is movably coupled to a first arm 104a, which is coupled to a joint assembly 110. The joint assembly 110 is coupled to a second arm 104b, which is operable to be movably coupled to an optical head 105 (e.g., a microscope). In some embodiments, the first arm 104a and the second arm 104b may include multiple arms joined together via arm joints, allowing the optical head 105 to be moved to various locations around the base 101 (e.g., positioned above the eye to observe the corneal plane).

[0028] Microscope system 100 includes light source 106 (e.g., Figure 2 As shown), the light source is connected to the lighting module 202 (e.g., via a plurality of first light carriers 107 (e.g., via a second arm 104b) Figure 2 As shown below, the light source 106 is spaced apart from the optical head 105. In some embodiments, the light source 106 may be close to and / or connected to the first arm 104a and / or the second arm 104b. For example, in some embodiments, the light source 106 is housed within the joint assembly 110. In various embodiments, the light source is coupled to the base 101. The microscope system 100 includes a display screen 108 operable for outputting images of the observation area of ​​the microscope system 100. The display screen 108 may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, an LED display, an organic LED display, etc. Although Figure 1 A microscope system 100 with a single display screen 108 is shown, but in some embodiments, the display screen 108 may include multiple displays screens 108.

[0029] For details, please refer to the following: Figure 2 The light source 106 is coupled to a plurality of first light carriers 107 via, for example, an SMA connector. In some embodiments, the light source 106 may include, for example, an ultraviolet light source, a laser, an infrared (IR) light source, a near-IR light source, or one or more LEDs. In some embodiments, the one or more LEDs may be red LEDs, green LEDs, blue LEDs, and combinations thereof.

[0030] In some embodiments, a plurality of first optical carriers 107 include randomized fiber bundles. In some embodiments, the plurality of first optical carriers 107 can be any optical carrier operable for propagating light. In some embodiments, the plurality of first optical carriers 107 includes a first end 206 and a second end 207. In some embodiments, the first end 206 may include fusion spliced ​​fiber (e.g., fusion spliced ​​fiber of a randomized fiber bundle). In some embodiments, the second end 207 may include fiber bonded with epoxy resin (e.g., epoxy resin bonded fiber of a randomized fiber bundle). In some embodiments, the plurality of first optical carriers may include, for example, a fiber bundle with a splitting bar, a branched fiber bundle, or a fiber bundle with one or more fiber splitters. In the illustrated embodiment, the first end 206 is an optical input end, and the second end 207 is an optical output end. Figures 3A to 3B and 4A to Figure 4C Examples of multiple first optical carriers 107 are described.

[0031] exist Figures 1 to 2 In the illustrated embodiments, a second optical carrier 201 (e.g., an equalizer) is coupled to a plurality of first optical carriers 107, such that the plurality of first optical carriers 107 provide a plurality of light intensities to the second optical carrier 201. In some embodiments, the plurality of first optical carriers 107 are coupled to the second optical carrier 201 via an SMA connector. Typically, the second optical carrier 201 spatially homogenizes the plurality of light intensities from the plurality of first optical carriers 107 to form a homogenized light intensity. In some embodiments, the second optical carrier 201 mixes the light colors from the plurality of light intensities. In some embodiments, the plurality of first optical carriers 107 are integrated with the second optical carrier 201.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second light carrier 201 may comprise a cylindrical borosilicate-clad rod. In some embodiments, the second light carrier 201 includes a medium, such as air. In various embodiments, the second light carrier 201 comprises a hexagonal rod having a circular aperture at its distal end. In some embodiments, the second light carrier 201 may have, for example, a cylindrical shape, a hexagonal shape, a rectangular shape, or a square shape. In some embodiments, the second light carrier 201 has a cladding surrounding a core. In some embodiments, the second light carrier 201 has a cladding having a mirrored surface surrounding the second light carrier 201. Figure 5 and Figure 6 An example describing the second optical carrier 201.

[0033] The illumination module 202 is coupled to the second light carrier 201 and is operable to receive homogenized light intensity and project the homogenized light intensity onto the observation area 203. In some embodiments, the illumination module 202 is coupled to the second light carrier 201 via an SMA connector. In some embodiments, the observation area 203 may include, but is not limited to, a portion of the eye, such as the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, ciliary muscle, or other areas of the eye. In some embodiments, the observation area is the corneal plane of the eye.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the illumination module 202 may also include a beam splitter 204 and / or a lens 205. In some embodiments, the beam splitter 204 may be integrated into the illumination module 202 to split a uniform light intensity (e.g., in the form of light waves) into multiple paths. In such embodiments, the beam splitter 204 may be used to coaxially illuminate the observation area 203 (e.g., the corneal plane).

[0035] In some embodiments, the beam splitter 204 may be a folding mirror. In such embodiments, the folding mirror can be closer to the second light carrier 201, relative to... Figure 2 The beam splitter 204 is located outside the microscope's observation path. In some embodiments, the folding mirror can be angled such that the beam is projected onto the corneal plane at an angle of inclination relative to the vertical direction (e.g., 6-12°). In some embodiments, this can provide overall illumination to areas of the eye where strong red reflection is not required.

[0036] In some embodiments, the illumination module 202 may be distinct from other components of the microscope system 100. In such embodiments, the objective lens of the optical head 105 may be located above the illumination module 202 (such that the illumination module 202 is arranged downstream or below the objective lens) to image the corneal plane into a camera or eye via a binocular lens. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the illumination module may be arranged within and / or integrated with the microscope system 100, for example, above the objective lens of the microscope system 100.

[0037] Figure 3A and Figure 3B An example of a randomized fiber bundle 300 is shown. In some embodiments, the randomized fiber bundle 300 can be used as, for example... Figures 1 to 2 Multiple first optical carriers 107. Figure 3A The first end 301 of the randomized fiber bundle 300 is shown. Figure 3B The second end 304 of the randomized fiber bundle 300 is shown. For clarity, it is described together. Figure 3A and Figure 3B .

[0038] In some embodiments, the first end 301 and the second end 304 respectively correspond to Figure 2 The first end 306 and the second end 207. In some embodiments, the first end 301 is the optical input end and the second end 304 is the optical output end. The randomized fiber bundle 300 includes optical fibers 302a, 302b, 302c … 302N (collectively referred to as optical fibers 302) enclosed in a sheath 303. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The randomization of optical fiber 302 is illustrated. In some embodiments, one or more optical fibers in optical fiber 302 may be positioned significantly differently at the first end 301 relative to the second end 304 within the sheath 303 (e.g., optical fibers 302b and 302c). In some embodiments, one or more optical fibers in optical fiber 302 may be positioned substantially the same at the first end 301 relative to the second end 304 within the sheath 303 (e.g., optical fiber 302a). In some embodiments, substantially all optical fibers 302 may be positioned significantly differently at the first end 301 relative to the second end 304 within the sheath 303.

[0039] In some embodiments, the randomized arrangement within the randomized fiber bundle 300 can allow for a more uniform distribution and / or mixing of light as it exits the second end 304. In some embodiments, the first end 301 may be a fusion splice, such that no adhesive is used to hold each of the fibers 302 together. In some embodiments, the second end 304 may be an epoxy-bonded end, such that epoxy is used to hold each of the fibers 302 together. In some embodiments, the first end 301 is either a fusion splice or an epoxy-bonded end. In various embodiments, the second end 304 is either a fusion splice or an epoxy-bonded end. In some embodiments, the randomized fiber bundle 300 is formed by twisting the fiber bundle.

[0040] In some embodiments, the optical fiber 302 may be a randomized borosilicate fiber with a core diameter ranging from about 15 μm to 100 μm, about 20 μm to 85 μm, and / or about 30 μm to 70 μm. In some embodiments, the core diameter may be about 50 μm. In some embodiments, about 1,000 to 2,000 optical fibers 302 may be packed to form an effective area of ​​about 0.5 mm to 4 mm, and are randomly arranged. In some embodiments, about 1,400 optical fibers 302 may be packed to form an effective area of ​​about 2 mm. In some embodiments, the sheath 303 is a metal single coil and a polyvinyl chloride sheath. In various embodiments, the optical fibers 302 of the fiber bundle 300 may be borosilicate fibers with a numerical aperture ranging from about 0.22 to 0.85, which are fused at a first end 301 and bonded with epoxy resin at a second end 304. In some embodiments, the numerical aperture may be about 0.55. In some embodiments, the first end 301 may be fused and has an effective region diameter in the range of about 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. In some embodiments, the effective region diameter may be about 1.9 mm. In some embodiments, the second end 304 may be epoxy-bonded and has an effective diameter in the range of about 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm. In some embodiments, the second end 304 may be epoxy-bonded and has an effective region diameter of about 2.05 mm.

[0041] Figures 4A to 4C It shows what can be used as, for example Figures 1 to 2 An example embodiment of the first plurality of optical fiber bundles 107. Figure 4AAn optical fiber bundle 401 with a bundle splitter 402 is shown. In some embodiments, the optical fiber bundle 401 may be a randomized optical fiber bundle (e.g., optical fiber bundle 300). In some embodiments, the optical fiber bundle 401 may be an ordered optical fiber cable, such that there is a one-to-one mapping between the optical input end and the optical output end. In some embodiments, the bundle splitter 402 is a bundle splitter glass rod. In some embodiments, the bundle splitter 402 receives light at an input end 405 and outputs light via two output ends 406a and 406b. In some embodiments, the output ends 406a and 406b are each coupled to an equalizer (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 ).

[0042] Figure 4B A branched fiber bundle 400 is illustrated. In some embodiments, the branched fiber bundle 400 has an input end 410 where fibers are grouped together and then branch into a first fiber segment 412 and a second fiber segment 414. In some embodiments, each of the first fiber segment 412 and the second fiber segment 414 may include a randomized fiber bundle (e.g., fiber bundle 300). In some embodiments, each of the first fiber segment 412 and the second fiber segment 414 may include an ordered fiber bundle. In some embodiments, both the first fiber segment 412 and the second fiber segment 414 are coupled to a homogenizer.

[0043] Figure 4C An optical fiber bundle 403 with an optical fiber bundler 404 is shown. In some embodiments, the optical fiber bundle 403 may be a randomized optical fiber bundle (e.g., optical fiber bundle 300). In some embodiments, the optical fiber bundle 403 may be an ordered optical fiber cable, such that there is a one-to-one mapping between the optical input and optical output ends. In some embodiments, the optical fiber bundle 403 is an optical fiber bundle with a single core. Figure 4C The fiber optic beam splitter 404 is a 1×2 fiber optic beam splitter. However, in other embodiments, the fiber optic beam splitter 404 can be a 1×n fiber optic beam splitter, where n is an integer greater than 1 (e.g., 1×2, 1×3, 1×4… 1×n). In some embodiments, the fiber optic beam splitter 404 receives light at input 407 and outputs light from two outputs 408a and 408b. In some embodiments, both outputs 408a and 408b are coupled to a uniformizer.

[0044] Although Figure 4C This description pertains to the splitting of fiber bundle 403 into two outputs; however, in some embodiments, multiple inputs can be combined to merge into a single output. In some embodiments, n×1 merging (e.g., 4×1) can be used to connect optical fibers and / or fiber bundles into a single fiber bundle. For example, 3×1 merging can occur, combining optical fibers from green, red, and blue light sources into a single fiber bundle.

[0045] Figure 5 An example embodiment of an optical carrier 500 is shown, which can be used as, for example... Figure 2 The second optical carrier 201. The optical carrier 500 includes a core 501 having a cladding 502 in contact with the outer surface of the core 501. Light 503 enters the optical carrier 500 through an input end 504 and propagates through the core 501, thereby allowing propagation through the optical carrier 500. Light 503 exits the optical carrier 500 via an output end 505. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape (perpendicular to the principal axis of the optical carrier 500) of the optical carrier 500 may include, but is not limited to, a hexagonal shape, a circular shape, a square / rectangular shape, etc.

[0046] In some embodiments, core 501 may include, for example, glass, air, silica, fused silica, or other materials that allow light 503 to propagate through core 501. In some embodiments, cladding 502 may include, for example, a material having a surface in contact with the outer surface of core 501. In some embodiments, the surface may be mirror-like or have a metallic coating thereon to provide mirror-like properties. In some embodiments, cladding 502 may include air. In various embodiments, cladding 502 may include a material with a refractive index lower than that of core 501. In some embodiments, a second light carrier may form a homogenizer to provide spatial homogenization and color mixing of light 503. In some embodiments, light carrier 500 may be a coated rod borosilicate homogenizer.

[0047] Figure 6 An example embodiment of an optical carrier 600 is shown, which can be used as, for example... Figure 2 The second light carrier 201. In the illustrated embodiment, the light carrier 600 has a hexagonal shape and includes a core 601 having a cladding 602 in contact with its outer surface. The light carrier 600 further includes an aperture 603 on its light output side. In some embodiments, the optical module 202 focuses light emitted from the aperture 603 onto a target region, such as the corneal plane. In some embodiments, the core 601 may be substantially similar to Figure 5 The core 501. In some embodiments, the cladding 602 may be substantially similar to... Figure 5 The cladding layer is 502. Although... Figures 5 to 6 Optical carriers with physical cladding (e.g., clad rod optical carriers) are described herein, but in some embodiments, the optical carriers described herein may comprise light tubes and / or glass rods made of molten silica, glass, silicon dioxide, etc. In such embodiments, the physical cladding is replaced by air (i.e., no physical cladding), but air effectively acts as the cladding because it causes light to be confined within the core via total internal reflection.

[0048] Although various embodiments of this disclosure have been shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but many arrangements, modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure set forth herein.

[0049] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the term “substantially” is defined to a large extent, but not necessarily entirely, of the specified content. In any disclosed embodiment, the terms “substantially,” “about,” “generally,” and “approximately” may be replaced by the specified “within [...] percent,” where percent includes 0.1%, 1%, 5%, and 10%.

[0050] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments, enabling those skilled in the art to better understand various aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can readily use this disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other methods and structures to achieve the same purpose and / or realize the same advantages of the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also recognize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. The scope of the invention should be determined solely by the language of the appended claims. The term "comprising" in the claims is intended to mean "including at least," such that the list of elements recited in the claims is an open group. Unless specifically excluded, the terms "a / an" and other singular terms are intended to include their plural forms.

[0051] The conditional language used herein, particularly words such as “may,” “possibly,” “can,” and “for example,” unless explicitly stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states, while other embodiments do not. Therefore, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that these features, elements, and / or states are required in any way by one or more embodiments.

[0052] While the detailed description above has shown, described, and pointed out novel features applicable to various embodiments, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made to the form and details of the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. As will be appreciated, the various embodiments described herein may be implemented in forms that do not provide all the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from other features. The scope of protection is defined by the appended claims, not by the foregoing description. All variations within the equivalent meaning and scope of the claims should be included within their scope.

Claims

1. An optical system, the optical system comprising: A light source coupled to a plurality of first light carriers providing a plurality of light intensities; A second optical carrier is coupled to the plurality of first optical carriers, and the second optical carrier spatially homogenizes the plurality of light intensities to form a homogenized light intensity. as well as An illumination module coupled to the second light carrier and operable to receive the homogenized light intensity.

2. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The plurality of first optical carriers include randomized fiber bundles.

3. The optical system as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The randomized fiber bundle includes a first end and a second end, the first end including fused optical fibers of the randomized fiber bundle, and the second end including optical fibers of the randomized fiber bundle bonded with epoxy resin.

4. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The plurality of first optical carriers include at least one of the following: an optical fiber bundle including a splitter bar, a branched optical fiber bundle, or an optical fiber bundle including one or more optical fiber splitters.

5. The optical system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The second photocarrier comprises a cylindrical coated borosilicate rod.

6. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The second light carrier includes air.

7. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The second light carrier includes a hexagonal rod, which has a circular aperture.

8. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The second light carrier includes at least one of a cylindrical shape, a hexagonal shape, a rectangular shape, or a square shape.

9. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The second optical carrier includes a cladding layer.

10. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The second light carrier includes a mirror surface.

11. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The illumination module includes at least one of a lens or a beam splitter.

12. The optical system of claim 1, wherein, The light source includes at least one of a laser, an ultraviolet light source, an infrared (IR) light source, a near-IR light source, or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

13. The optical system of claim 12, wherein, The second light carrier mixes the colors of light from the plurality of light intensities.

14. An optical system, the optical system comprising: A light source coupled to a light carrier, the light carrier spatially homogenizing multiple light intensities to form a uniform light intensity; An optical head, the optical head including an illumination module coupled to the light carrier and operable to receive the homogenized light intensity; and The optical head is spaced apart from the light source.

15. The optical system of claim 14, wherein: The light source is coupled to the base of the microscope; The optical head is coupled to a portion of the arm of the microscope; and The portion of the arm is positioned above the corneal plane.

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