Wide-field, high-power disposable retinal observation system

Abstract

A wide-field, high-light-power disposable retinal observation system is provided. A system and method for high-resolution, wide-angle viewing of the retina of an eye using an ophthalmic microscope capable of viewing high-resolution images of the retina formed using a wide-field optical system. The wide-field optical system can include a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface and a second lens housed in a common housing. The wide-field optical system can include one or more lenses formed from optical-grade polymers and manufactured at a cost that allows the lenses to be disposable.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to ophthalmic surgery, and more particularly to a wide field, high optical power disposable retinal viewing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Ophthalmic surgery is typically performed using a surgical microscope to visualize various structures in the eye. For example, during cataract surgery, a microscope is used to visualize the anterior segments of the eye, such as the cornea, lens, etc. However, standard surgical microscopes cannot fully view the entire posterior segment of the eye (e.g., the retina) because the natural optical system of the eye (e.g., the cornea and lens) prevents the surgical microscope from focusing on posterior eye features.

[0003] To achieve excellent posterior viewing during retinal surgery, a surgical microscope can be used with additional optical systems capable of resolving an image of the retina of the eye. For example, an ophthalmoscope eyepiece can include an optical system for wide-angle viewing of the retina and can be positioned over the patient's eye. The surgical microscope can then be focused to view the image created by the eyepiece. However, the eyepiece system can interfere with the surgeon's ability to manipulate surgical instruments. Also, the ophthalmoscope eyepiece can become misaligned as a result of movements by the patient.

[0004] An anterior lens attachment may also be used with a surgical microscope to achieve a wide-angle view of the retina. The anterior lens attachment may include a support member that may hold a non-contact anterior lens over the patient's eye. However, during ophthalmic surgery, fluids from the eye and / or fluids used to maintain intraocular pressure or medications delivered to the eye may cause the anterior lens to become cloudy, requiring the surgeon to clean or replace the lens.

[0005] Cleaning the ophthalmoscope eyepiece and / or front lens can be tedious for many reasons. The process of cleaning the lenses can take time away from performing surgery and can lead to less than desirable results. Additionally, the ophthalmoscope eyepiece and / or front lens can have surface features (e.g., diffractive surface features) that make effective cleaning very difficult.

[0006] As an alternative to cleaning the anterior lens, retinal surgeons often choose to replace the anterior lens with a lens from their spare replacement lens to ensure continuity during surgery, however, typical lenses used for wide-angle retinal viewing are precision ground and very expensive. As background art to the present disclosure, a "lens system for use with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope to generate a wide field of view" described in Patent Document 1 is known. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 1308124 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Disclosed embodiments of the present technology relate to systems and methods for high-resolution wide-angle viewing of the retina of an eye. In some embodiments, the system for high-resolution wide-angle viewing of the retina of an eye includes an ophthalmic microscope capable of viewing a high-resolution image of the retina formed using a wide-field optical system. In some cases, the ophthalmic microscope is coupled with a front lens attachment configured to alternatively position a lens holder that holds the wide-field optical system in and out of the light beam. In some embodiments, the wide-field optical system includes one or more lenses formed from optical grade polymers and manufactured at a cost that allows the lenses to be disposable.

[0008] Also, in some cases, the wide field optical system includes a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface, and a second lens. In these cases, the first lens and the second lens can combine to form a nearly achromatic doublet. The diffractive surface can be a kinoform surface with a second order blaze profile. In some cases, both the first lens and the second lens are formed from optical grade polymers. In some other cases, the first lens with the diffractive surface is formed from an optical grade polymer and the second lens is formed from glass. In some embodiments, the wide field optical system includes a single lens formed from an optical grade polymer with a diffractive surface on one or more surfaces.

[0009] In some embodiments, the wide field optical system includes a shared housing that holds the first lens and the second lens. The shared housing can also be coupled with a lens holder of a front lens attachment of an ophthalmic microscope such that when the lens holder is placed in the light beam, the first lens and the second lens are positioned coaxially with the light beam. The shared housing can include one or more geometric features for coupling with one or more of the first lens, the second lens, and the lens holder. Also, in some cases, the shared housing can be integrally formed with the first lens and / or the second lens.

[0010] In some cases, a method for high-resolution wide-angle observation of the retina can include placing a wide-field optical system under a lens arrangement of an ophthalmic microscope and focusing the ophthalmic microscope to observe a high-resolution image of the eye's retina resolved by the wide-field optical system.

[0011] For a more complete understanding of the present technology, its features and advantages, reference is made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] A system for high-resolution wide-field observation of the retina of the eye is presented. [Diagram 2] We present a method for high-resolution, wide-angle observation of the retina. [Figure 3A] 1 shows an example of a wide-field optical system that resolves light from a model of the human eye. [Figure 3B] 1 shows an example of a diffractive kinoform surface with a quadratic blaze profile. [Figure 4A] Quantified results of the image spot size of a model eye formed at an intermediate plane using the stand-alone wide-field optical system depicted in FIG. 3A are shown. [Figure 4B] Quantified results of image spot size of a model eye formed at an intermediate plane using the wide-field optical system depicted in FIG. 3A integrated with an ophthalmic microscope are shown. [Figure 4C] Quantified results of the modulation transfer function of the wide-field optical system depicted in FIG. 3A integrated with a microscope model are shown. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 shows a side cross-sectional view of a shared housing for a first lens and a second lens of a wide field optical system. [Figure 5B] 1 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a shared housing integral with a second lens and a first lens of a wide field optical system that are snap-fitted or otherwise disposed within the shared housing. [Figure 6] 1 shows an example of a wide-field optical system that resolves light from a model of the human eye. [Figure 7A] Figure 6 shows the quantified results of the image spot size of a model eye formed at an intermediate plane using a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens in a wide-field optical system integrated with an ophthalmic microscope. [Figure 7B-1] Quantified results of the modulation transfer function of a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens in a wide-field optical system depicted in FIG. 6 integrated with an ophthalmic microscope are shown. [Figure 7B-2] Quantified results of the modulation transfer function of a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens in a wide-field optical system depicted in FIG. 6 integrated with an ophthalmic microscope are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A system and method for a wide field, high optical power disposable retinal viewing system is disclosed.

[0014] 1 shows a system 100 for high-resolution wide-field observation of a retina 142 of an eye 140. The system 100 may include a wide-field optical system 120 for use with an ophthalmic microscope 110. The ophthalmic microscope 110 may include a housing 115 that contains a lens arrangement including an objective lens 112. The ophthalmic microscope 110 also includes a binocular eyepiece arrangement 113 for observing an image formed from light rays reflected from the eye 140. The system 100 may also include a beam splitter 118 to redirect a portion of the light rays.

[0015] The wide field optical system 120 can include a first lens 122 with a diffractive surface 124 and a second lens 126. The first lens 122 and the second lens 126 can be coupled together in a shared housing 130.

[0016] The system 100 can also include a front lens attachment 114 coupled to the ophthalmic microscope 110. The front lens attachment can include a lens holder 116 that can be coupled to a shared housing 130. In some cases, the front lens attachment 114 can be joined and articulated to alternatively position the lens holder 116 and the shared housing 130 in and out of the beam of light. In some cases, the front lens attachment 114 is configured as a screw drive that can move the lens holder 116 up and down, and the lens holder is configured to rotate in and out of the beam of light.

[0017] In some cases, the lens arrangement of the ophthalmic microscope 110 is generally selected to resolve an image of the (unlabeled) front of the eye. Similarly, the combined prescription of the first lens 122 and the second lens 126, when used in combination with the lens arrangement of the ophthalmic microscope 110, can be selected to resolve an image of the retina 142 of the eye 140. In these cases, the eye care professional can alternatively view the front of the eye 140 and the retina 142 by articulating the lens holder 116 and the shared housing 130 in and out of the light beam.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 for high-resolution wide-angle viewing of the retina. The method 200 includes positioning 205 a lens arrangement of an ophthalmic microscope for viewing light reflected from the eye, and selecting 210 a first lens and a second lens for a wide-field retinal viewing system. The first lens can be a polymer lens with a first side having a convex surface and a second side having a diffractive surface profile. In some cases, both the first side and the second side of the first lens have a diffractive surface profile. The second lens can include a glass or polymer lens with a smooth surface profile and at least one concave surface. The first lens and the second lens can be combined to form a nearly achromatic doublet.

[0019] Next, the method 200 includes placing a second lens in the shared housing with the concave side of the second lens facing the open bottom of the shared housing 215. In some cases, an interior shelf at the bottom of the shared housing supports the second lens, as described in more detail below. The method 200 also includes placing a first lens in the shared housing with the convex side of the first lens facing the open bottom of the shared housing and the diffractive side of the first lens facing the open top of the shared housing 220.

[0020] After the first lens and the second lens are housed within the shared housing, the method 200 includes inserting 225 the shared housing into a lens holder of a front lens attachment coupled to an ophthalmic microscope, with an open bottom of the shared housing facing the eye and an open top of the shared housing facing the ophthalmic microscope.

[0021] Next, the method 200 includes positioning 230 the front lens attachment within the light beam such that the first lens and the second lens are positioned coaxially with the light beam, and focusing 235 the ophthalmic microscope to observe a high-resolution image of the eye's retina resolved by a wide-field optical system contained within the shared housing.

[0022] FIG. 3A shows an example of a wide field optical system 320 that resolves light from a human eye model 350, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The wide field optical system 320 includes a first lens 322 and a second lens 326. The first lens 322 can be a converging lens and can include a diffractive surface 324 on at least one surface. The diffractive surface 324 increases the optical power of the wide field optical system 320 and, together with the second lens 326, creates a nearly achromatic doublet. FIG. 3B shows an example of a diffractive kinoform surface with a secondary blaze profile, according to some embodiments of the disclosed technology. In some cases, an additional protective layer of polymer or glass can be applied to the diffractive surface.

[0023] In some cases, one or more of the first lens 322 and the second lens 326 of the wide field optical system 320 include optical grade polymers selected for high optical performance and wide field optics. Additionally, optical grade polymers allow the wide field optical system 320 to be made with low manufacturing costs at high production value to allow for disposable use. Using a wide field optical system 320 with low manufacturing costs that are disposable allows a surgeon to quickly and easily place and replace lenses during, for example, ophthalmic surgery without significantly increasing surgical costs when fluids from the eye and / or fluids used to maintain intraocular pressure or medications delivered to the eye cause the lenses in the wide field optical system 320 to fog up.

[0024] As mentioned above, the wide field optical system 320 can include one or more optical surfaces such as refractive, reflective, and diffractive substrates with spherical, aspheric, cylindrical, and freeform prescriptions. Forming these surfaces with optical glass is achieved using time-consuming high-precision optical polishing and / or magnetorheological polishing (MRF) methods and is extremely expensive. Optical grade polymers help to make these optical surfaces manufacturable at a sufficiently low cost for a disposable wide field optical system 320, because only a prototype needs to be formed by single point diamond turning (SPDT) methods, and subsequent copies can be made using injection molding, compression molding, etc.

[0025] The inventors have observed that the wide field optical system 320 formed from optical grade polymers works very well in spot size and modulation transfer function tests. Figure 4A shows the quantified results of the image spot size of a model eye formed at a mid-plane using the stand-alone wide field optical system described in Figure 3A. Figure 4B shows the quantified results of the image spot size of a model eye formed at a mid-plane using the wide field optical system described in Figure 3A integrated with an ophthalmic microscope. Figure 4C shows the quantified results of the modulation transfer function of the wide field optical system described in Figure 3A integrated with a microscope model. The MTF provides diffraction-limited resolution in the central region of the retina, down by about 30 percent in the periphery.

[0026] 3A, the first lens 322 and the second lens 326 can combine to produce an optical power of at least 128 diopters, and in combination with an ophthalmic microscope can resolve an image of the retina of the eye at a wide angle over a diameter of at least 19.11 millimeters with a resolution of at least 10 micrometers at the center of the retina and 20 micrometers at the periphery of the retina.

[0027] In some cases, optical polymers can be selected that can be manufactured at low cost and are sterilizable for multiple applications. For example, a wide field optical system 320 made of polyetherimide (PEI) can achieve results similar to those shown in Figures 4A-4C and can withstand a variety of sterilization methods, including ethylene oxide sterilization, gamma radiation, autoclaving, dry heat sterilization, etc.

[0028] In some cases, the first lens in a wide field optical system can be a disposable optical grade polymer, while the second lens includes a conventional glass lens. As explained above, the first lens may include a diffractive surface that can become clouded in the presence of liquids and can be particularly difficult to remove liquids from. However, the second lens has a smooth surface and can therefore be easier to wipe clean, thus allowing the glass lens to be used, sterilized, and reused.

[0029] As described above, the first and second lenses in the wide field optical system can be disposed in a common housing. In some cases, one or both of the first and second lenses are preassembled or integrally formed within the common housing. In other cases, the common housing includes geometric features for coupling with one or both of the first and second lenses.

[0030] 5A shows a side cross-sectional view of a shared housing 530 for the first lens 522 and second lens 526 of the wide field optical system 520. A surface 532 of the shared housing 530 can extend about a central vertical axis such that the shared housing 530 is bowl-shaped with an open top 534 and an open bottom 536. Additionally, a bottom internal shelf 538 near the open bottom 536 is configured to support the second lens 526, and an upper internal shelf 540 near the open top 534 is configured to support the first lens 522. Like the wide field optical system 520, the shared housing 530 can be manufactured (e.g., using compression molding, injection molding, etc.) at a low enough cost to allow the shared housing 530 to be disposable.

[0031] In some cases, the surface 532 of the shared housing 530 can be a hard material (e.g., aluminum, hard plastic, etc.) that can be, for example, injection molded. In these cases, the first lens 522 and the second lens 526 can float or snap into the shared housing 530. In some cases, the surface 532 of the shared housing 530 can be formed from at least some resilient material. In these cases, the surface 532 of the shared housing around the top interior shelf 540 and / or the bottom interior shelf 538 can be slightly smaller in size than the first lens 522 and the second lens 526, respectively. The smaller size can allow the first lens 522 and the second lens 526 to stretch the resilient surface 532 of the shared housing 530 and be held within the shared housing 530 by the restoring force of the resilient surface 532. The resilient surface 532 can also ensure proper axial alignment of the first lens 522 and the second lens 526.

[0032] Another advantage of using optical polymers is the integration of optical and mechanical functions, thus simplifying assembly and alignment of wide field optical system 520 by reducing the number of components. For example, in some cases, second lens 526 may be integrated as part of shared housing 530. Figure 5B shows a side cross-sectional view of shared housing 530' with second lens 526' and first lens 522' of wide field optical system 520' snapped or otherwise placed within shared housing 530'.

[0033] While the above description refers to a wide-field optical system including a lens pair, some embodiments also include a single disposable optical grade polymer lens with comparable optical power and capable of resolving an image of the eye's retina at comparable high resolution in combination with an ophthalmic microscope. FIG. 6 shows an example of a wide-field optical system 620 resolving light from a human eye model 650 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The wide-field optical system 620 includes a single lens 622 that is a refractive / diffractive hybrid. The single lens 622 includes a diffractive surface 624, e.g., a diffractive kinoform surface with a second-order blaze profile. As with the multi-lens solution described above, the inventors have observed that the wide-field optical system 620 with a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens formed from an optical grade polymer works very well in spot size and modulation transfer function tests. FIG. 7A shows quantified results of an image spot size of an eye model formed at a mid-plane using a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens in the wide-field optical system described in FIG. 6 integrated with an ophthalmic microscope. FIG. 7B shows the quantified results of the modulation transfer function of a single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens in the wide-field optical system described in FIG. 6 integrated with an ophthalmic microscope.

[0034] In some cases, the single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens can be enhanced by forming diffractive kinoform surfaces on both lens surfaces. In these cases, a window can be placed between the single refractive / diffractive hybrid lens and the patient's eye to prevent fluids from contaminating the optics.

[0035] The subject matter disclosed above should be considered as illustrative and not limiting, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, improvements and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of the present disclosure should be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and should not be limited or constrained by the foregoing detailed description. According to aspect (1), there is provided a system for high-resolution wide-angle observation of a retina, comprising: an ophthalmic microscope having a lens arrangement for observing an image formed from light reflected from the eye; a front lens attachment configured to alternatively position a lens holder in and out of the light beam; 1. A wide field optical system, comprising: a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface of the first lens; a second lens, the first lens and the second lens combining to form a nearly achromatic doublet; and a shared housing configured to accommodate the first lens and the second lens and configured to couple with the lens holder such that when the lens holder is positioned in the light beam, the first lens and the second lens are positioned coaxially with the light beam and the ophthalmic microscope is capable of observing a high resolution image of the retina of the eye; and The system includes: According to aspect (2), the ophthalmic microscope further includes a beam splitter positioned in the light beam between the lens arrangement and the front lens attachment. According to aspect (3), the wide field optical system has an optical power approximately equal to 128 diopters. According to aspect (4), the ophthalmic microscope and the wide field optical system resolve the retina of the eye to at least 10 micrometers (μm) at the center of the retina and at least 20 μm at the periphery of the retina, at an observation angle spanning a diameter of at least 19.11 millimeters. According to aspect (5), the first lens includes a converging lens formed from a polymer by a molding process. According to embodiment (6), the polymer comprises polyetherimide. According to aspect (7), the diffractive surface of the first lens includes a kinoform surface with a secondary blaze profile. According to aspect (8), the second lens comprises a polymer lens formed by a molding process. According to aspect (9), the second lens comprises a glass lens without a diffractive surface, thereby allowing liquid in contact with the second lens to be removed without affecting the optical prescription of the lens. According to aspect (10), the shared housing includes a first geometric profile for mating with the first lens and a second geometric profile for mating with the second lens. According to aspect (11), the shared housing is integrally formed with the second lens, and the shared housing includes a geometric profile for mating with the first lens. According to aspect (12), a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface of the first lens; a second lens, the first lens and the second lens combining to form a wide field optical system that is a nearly achromatic doublet; and a shared housing configured to house the wide field optical system such that the first lens and the second lens are coaxially aligned when placed in a light beam of an ophthalmic microscope, thereby enabling the ophthalmic microscope to observe a high resolution image of the retina of the eye; and A lens device comprising: According to aspect (13), the first lens includes a polymer lens having a kinoform surface with a secondary blaze profile. According to aspect (14), the shared housing includes a first geometric profile for mating with the first lens and a second geometric profile for mating with the second lens. According to aspect (15), the shared housing is integrally formed with the second lens and includes a geometric profile for mating with the first lens.

Claims

1. 1. A system for high-resolution wide-angle viewing of the retina, comprising: an ophthalmic microscope having a lens arrangement for observing an image formed from light reflected from the eye; a front lens attachment configured to alternatively position a lens holder in and out of the light beam; 1. A wide field optical system, comprising: a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface of the first lens; a second lens, the first lens and the second lens combining to form a nearly achromatic doublet; and a shared housing configured to accommodate the first lens and the second lens and configured to couple with the lens holder such that when the lens holder is positioned in the light beam, the first lens and the second lens are positioned coaxially with the light beam and the ophthalmic microscope is capable of observing a high resolution image of the retina of the eye; and A system including:

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a beam splitter positioned in the light beam between the lens arrangement and the front lens attachment of the ophthalmic microscope.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wide field optical system has an optical power approximately equal to 128 diopters.

4. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ophthalmic microscope and the wide field optical system resolve the retina of the eye to at least 10 micrometers (μm) at the center of the retina and at least 20 μm at the periphery of the retina over an observation angle spanning a diameter of at least 19.11 millimeters.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first lens comprises a converging lens formed from a polymer by a molding process.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the polymer comprises a polyetherimide.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive surface of the first lens comprises a kinoform surface with a secondary blaze profile.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second lens comprises a polymer lens formed by a molding process.

9. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second lens comprises a glass lens without a diffractive surface, thereby allowing liquid in contact with the second lens to be removed without affecting the optical prescription of the second lens.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shared housing includes a first geometric profile for mating with the first lens and a second geometric profile for mating with the second lens.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shared housing is integrally formed with the second lens, the shared housing including a geometric profile for mating with the first lens.

12. a first lens having a diffractive surface on at least one surface of the first lens; a second lens, the first lens and the second lens combining to form a nearly achromatic doublet; a shared housing configured to house the first lens and the second lens and configured to couple with a lens holder, such that when the lens holder is positioned within a light beam, the first lens and the second lens are positioned coaxially with the light beam such that an ophthalmic microscope can observe a high resolution image of the retina of the eye; and A wide field optical system including:

13. 13. The wide field optical system of claim 12, wherein the wide field optical system has an optical power approximately equal to 128 diopters.

14. 13. The wide field optical system of claim 12, wherein the ophthalmic microscope and the wide field optical system resolve the retina of the eye to at least 10 micrometers (μm) at the center of the retina and at least 20 μm at the periphery of the retina.

15. The wide field optical system of claim 12 , wherein the first lens comprises a polymer lens with a kinoform surface having a secondary blazed profile.

16. The wide field optical system of claim 12 , wherein the shared housing includes a first geometric profile for mating with the first lens and a second geometric profile for mating with the second lens.

17. The wide field optical system of claim 12 , wherein the shared housing is integrally formed with the second lens and includes a geometric profile for mating with the first lens.

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