System and method for an invisible laser treatment alignment pattern for a patient's eye in ophthalmic optical treatment

Abstract

An ophthalmic illumination method and system is provided that includes a head-up display imaging system, in which the therapeutic light is generated by a first laser light source configured to generate the therapeutic light and a near-infrared wavelength alignment pattern is generated by a second laser light, and the therapeutic light is directed to an eye being examined or treated according to the alignment pattern.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 874,984, filed on Jan. 19, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present invention generally relates to ophthalmic optical treatment, and more particularly to systems and methods for generating alignment patterns for laser treatment on a patient's eye.

Background Art

[0003] Ophthalmic optical treatment (such as laser treatment and laser surgery) employing multi-spot laser treatment is widely used today to treat various eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Generally, multi-spot laser treatment is performed using a slit lamp laser treatment device or a probe. In a slit lamp laser treatment device, a slit lamp is arranged to illuminate and microscopically observe a patient's eye. The slit lamp used in laser treatment and laser surgery usually includes high-intensity illumination capable of focusing to illuminate a target light pattern on the patient's eye, and a microscope attached to a shared pivot point. The shared pivot point allows the field angles of the illumination and the microscope to be changed as needed without moving the fields of illumination and visualization.

[0004] In laser therapy and laser surgery, precise aiming of the therapeutic laser light is also required. In many cases, aiming light in the visible wavelength range (400 - 700 nm) is used to generate an alignment pattern (e.g., one or more spots, or a scanned image) that indicates the target area above or inside the patient's eye to guide the treatment light. Usually, the individual aiming light and the treatment light are combined and propagate through a shared path, and both lights are projected onto the target area above or inside the patient's eye. For example, a physician looking at the patient's eye can adjust the alignment pattern to overlap the target area of interest. Next, the physician activates the treatment light that coincides with the alignment pattern. In this configuration, since the image is projected onto the actual target area and is then the actual pattern of light seen from the actual target area, the alignment pattern is a so-called "real" image.

[0005] The use of aiming light in the visible wavelength that coincides with the treatment light in the target eye structure functions well in most situations, but this approach has certain drawbacks. For example, since the aiming light is optically coupled to the patient's eye, the patient can see the alignment pattern before and / or during treatment, which may increase the patient's anxiety during the procedure. There are related safety and discomfort issues because the irradiance of the aiming light is generally higher in the patient's eye than in the physician's eye. Furthermore, in some procedures, it is preferable for the patient not to see the aiming light at all. For example, in a treatment near the macula of the eye (i.e., the central area with the highest visual acuity), the patient may inadvertently fixate their gaze on the aiming light, and the patient's central visual field may be unintentionally damaged. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0006] Therefore, an improved technique for generating an alignment pattern in ophthalmic procedures is needed.

[0007] The present invention provides an ophthalmic optical medical method and apparatus capable of generating an alignment pattern (i.e., a treatment pattern) that can be observed only by an individual (e.g., a doctor) and not the patient during a procedure such as laser surgery or laser treatment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a first optical element is configured to direct light from a light source toward an organic system to be processed, for example, the eye of an individual (i.e., a patient) to be examined and treated. A microdisplay projector forms a second optical element and is configured to generate a microdisplay image including information related to the eye to be examined. The microdisplay projector includes any one of a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), a digital micromirror device (DMD), or a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), a microscanner, and a light emitting diode (LED) or a red green blue (RGB) laser light source. A third optical element has functions such as (i) receiving reflected light from the eye generated from the light directed toward the eye, (ii) receiving the microdisplay image, and (iii) transmitting at least a part of the reflected light and at least a part of the microdisplay image.

[0009] According to a preferred aspect of an embodiment, in this system, an “actual” alignment pattern is provided, and aiming light is actually projected onto a target tissue (e.g., the retina of a patient), facilitating real-time image sensing. In one embodiment, the alignment laser source generates a near-infrared (NIR) alignment wavelength (i.e., an NIR aiming laser) for forming an alignment pattern to be projected onto the target tissue of the eye. Therefore, this eliminates the need for a target pattern to be superimposed on the patient's eye on the premise of projecting the aiming light onto the target tissue.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the third optical element is configured to transmit a stereoscopic image of a part of the reflected light and a part of the microdisplay image. The third optical element may be a beam splitter.

[0011] These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] FIG. 1 shows an ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system 100 according to one embodiment. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system 100 includes a laser generation system 101, a laser delivery system 110, an observation optical system 111, an illumination optical system 108, a near-infrared (NIR) imaging system 112, and a head (s) up (or head (singular) up) display system (HUD) 113.

[0014] The laser generation system 101 includes a therapeutic laser source 102 and an alignment laser source 103, and is operated by a user 130 (e.g., a treating physician or other practicing doctor) who is examining the patient 120. The laser generation system 101 is communicatively coupled to a controller 107 that is communicatively coupled to a graphical user interface 116. The therapeutic laser source 102 generates a therapeutic light (i.e., a "therapeutic laser") 104 for use in treating organic matter, such as the patient's eye 120-1 or the patient's eye 120-2. The alignment laser source 103 generates a near-infrared (NIR) alignment wavelength (i.e., an "NIR aiming laser") 105 for projecting in the form of an alignment pattern onto a target tissue of the patient's eye 120-1. The laser generation system 101 is configured to couple the therapeutic laser 104 generated by the therapeutic laser source 102 and the NIR aiming laser 105 generated by the alignment laser source 103 to one or more optical fibers 106 and propagate the coupled therapeutic laser 104 and NIR aiming laser 105 to a laser delivery system 110. References herein to the patient's eye 120-1 apply equally to the patient's eye 120-2, and references to the patient's eye 120-1 are used to simplify the description in the following specification. Similarly, references herein to the user's eye 130-1 apply equally to the user's eye 130-2, and references to the user's eye 130-1 are used to facilitate the description in the following specification.

[0015] The laser delivery system 110 is a component of the observation optical system 111 configured to propagate the coupled therapeutic laser 104 and NIR aiming laser 105 to the patient's eye 120-1 via the observation optical system 111. The observation optical system 111 is configured to provide a directly magnified image of the patient's eye 120-1 to the user's eye 130-1 and / or the user's eye 130-2. The illumination optical system 108 is configured to illuminate the patient's eye 120-1 with visible light 124 and near-infrared light 109.

[0016] In this embodiment, the NIR imaging system 112 includes a charge-coupled device (CCD) 114. The NIR imaging system 112 is arranged to capture the NIR wavelength 121 scattered from the eye tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 and direct it towards the CCD 114. In this embodiment, the CCD 114 includes a notch filter configured to attenuate wavelengths other than the NIR aiming laser 105. The NIR imaging system 112 can include a beam splitter configured to direct the NIR wavelength 121 scattered from the eye tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 towards the CCD 114. For example, the beam splitter can include a glass or plastic cube, a semi-silvered mirror (e.g., a glass or plastic sheet with a thin coating of a metal or dichroic optical coating), or a dichroic mirror prism. In this embodiment, instead of a notch filter, the CCD 114 includes a long-pass NIR filter and can superimpose the NIR image of the patient's eye 120-1 for direct viewing.

[0017] The HUD system 113 is configured to receive the NIR image of the patient's eye 120-1, superimpose the NIR image of the patient's eye 120-1 with the direct image of the patient's eye 120-1, and propagate the superimposed image of the patient's eye 120-1 to the user's eye 130-1. In this embodiment, the HUD display system 113 includes a light source, a microdisplay, a collimating optical system, a beam splitting optical system for supplying an image to an observation path (e.g., left and right paths), and a beam splitter in the observation path for directing visible light towards the user 130.

[0018] In this embodiment, the optical fiber 106 in which the therapeutic laser 104 and the NIR aiming laser 105 are both aligned and coupled is sent through the laser delivery system 110 to the observation optical system 111 (e.g., an ophthalmoscope). Further, the controller 107 is configured to generate a user command based on user input received via the GUI 116 and transmit it to the laser generation system 101. The controller 107 can also be configured to receive inputs from one or more external sources (e.g., a camera flash trigger or a computer that processes real-time slit lamp video). The GUI 116 may be a touch screen display, an LCD with a mouse / track pad interface, etc.

[0019] In this embodiment, the ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system 100 is configured to use the same fiber for the therapeutic laser 104 and the NIR aiming laser 105. In other embodiments, the ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system 100 can be configured to use separate (i.e., different) fibers dedicated to the therapeutic laser 104 and the NIR aiming laser 105 within the laser delivery system 110.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the observation optical system 111 is configured to propagate the composite image of the patient's eye 120-1 together with the superimposed image of the alignment pattern to which 5 to 15% of the light is related. As a result, a high-quality superimposed image of the patient's eye 120-1 is obtained. For example, about 90% of the superimposed image passes through the beam splitter. If only about 10% of the superimposed image is transmitted, the superimposed image cannot actually be seen. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious to set the ratio of the projection light to be passed. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the observation optical system 111 is configured such that about 90 to 99% of the reflected light 124 passes from the patient's eye 120-1 toward the user 130 (and the user's eye 130-1). For example, when the observation optical system 111 is configured to pass 99% of the reflected light 124 from the patient's eye 120-1 toward the user 130 (and the user's eye 130-1), about 1% of the reflected light 124 is lost. Also in this case, for those skilled in the art, other ratios of the reflected light 124 to be passed or reflected are obvious.

[0021] When the ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system 100 uses the "actual" alignment pattern, the NIR aiming laser 105 is actually projected onto the target tissue. The actual projection of the NIR aiming laser 105 onto the target tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 has a clear advantage over the above "virtual" approach in that the observed aiming beam (via the HUD system 113) actually blurs the focus. This is because what is seen on the retina 120-1 of the patient's eye is the actual out-of-focus NIR aiming laser 105, not a virtual projection. That is, the user 130 (for example, the user's eye 130-1) directly observes the patient's eye 120-1 through the observation optical system 111, and the image of the retina of the patient's eye 120-1 in the NIR light (showing only the aiming laser 105) is directly superimposed and displayed on the image using the HUD system 113.

[0022] Light scattered from the target tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 is focused within the observation optical system 111. Visible light 124 is directly visually recognized from the user's eye 130-1 through the eyepiece lens of the observation optical system 111. The NIR aiming laser 105 is reflected to the NIR imaging system 112 as the reflection wavelength 121. The NIR imaging system 112, for example, using a notch filter, attenuates all wavelengths outside the narrow band corresponding to the wavelength of the NIR aiming laser 105. When receiving the reflection wavelength 121 of the NIR aiming laser 105, the NIR imaging system 112 generates a video image frame of the NIR beam on the eye tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 and transmits the generated video image frame to the HUD system 113.

[0023] The composite image of the patient's eye 120-1 and the superimposed image of the alignment pattern can also include current information including any type of image or data related to the patient's eye 120-1. For example, the current information may include patient information, the current date and time, or other information available in the clinical environment. In another example, the current information can include measurement information such as a measurement axis, distance, area, scale, or grid. The measurement information includes the diameter of the current illumination area, the current slit width, the interval between slits, the current filter selection, the labeling of the micrometer scale, or the radius, ratio, and area of a circle / ellipse.

[0024] When the illumination system 108 is used with a treatment system including a laser system and other devices, the current information can include one of treatment parameters or preoperative images, treatment plans, aiming beam pattern indicators, or treatment beam target indicators. Further, in other examples, the current information can include information regarding treatment laser parameters such as, for example, output, spot size, and interval.

[0025] In an alternative embodiment of the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100, the alignment laser source 103 that generates the NIR aiming laser 105 may be disposed within the laser delivery system 110. In this case, the laser delivery system 110 is configured to couple the treatment laser 104 to the NIR aiming laser 105 and one or more optical fibers within the laser delivery system 110 using beam shaping / collimation optics. The one or more optical fibers directly deliver the coupled treatment laser 104 and NIR aiming laser 105 to the patient's eye 120-1.

[0026] The laser generation system 101, the NIR imaging system 112, and the HUD system 113 can be implemented such that there is no data connection between the controller 107, the NIR imaging system 112, and the HUD system 113. In this case, the NIR imaging system 112 and the HUD system 113 detect narrow-band NIR light corresponding to the NIR aiming laser 105 and superimpose the NIR aiming laser 105 onto the direct view of the patient's eye 120-1 without data exchange with the controller 107. Also, the color of the aiming beam projected to the user 130 by the HUD system 113 can be arbitrarily set, rather than using the frequently used long red wavelength, to provide maximum user visibility of the alignment beam.

[0027] In an alternative embodiment of the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100, the NIR aiming laser 105 is generated by the treatment laser source 103, for example, using a residual pump before frequency doubling. In a further embodiment of the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100, the NIR aiming laser 105 is configured to have a shared function with the NIR imaging system 112 (for example, an optical coherence tomography (OCT) or scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) imaging system). In a further embodiment, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100 is configured to include a separate NIR channel (for example, free space or fiber coupled) with a polarizer that is cross-polarized in front of the CCD 114 to reduce reflections. In an alternative embodiment, the NIR imaging system 112 and the HUD system 113 are configured to share a common beam splitter having an internal beam splitter coating that reflects the NIR signal and transmits the visible signal at a split ratio of 90:10.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example of the operation of an ophthalmic illumination method according to one embodiment. For simplicity of explanation, reference is made to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 will be described below with reference also to FIG. 1. In step 210, parameters for generating a composite image of the patient's eye 120-1 are received. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 107 is configured to receive, via the GUI 116, parameters for generating a composite image of the patient's eye 120-1, the parameters being related to current information regarding patient data, treatment parameters, preoperative images, or the treatment plan. Receiving the parameters by the processor 107 initiates the laser treatment alignment phase. During the alignment phase, a visible or invisible (NIR) aiming laser 105 is selected. In one embodiment, the selection of the visible or invisible (NIR) aiming laser 105 is implemented as a so-called "aiming visibility" slider bar in the GUI 116, with highly visible indicators corresponding to visible wavelengths and less visible indicators corresponding to NIR wavelengths.

[0029] In step 220, commands based on the received parameters are generated for the laser generation system 101 and the illumination optical system 108. Returning to FIG. 1, the controller 107 transmits a command to the illumination optical system 108, for example, to generate a light beam 109 directed at the patient's eye 120-1. The light beam 109 strikes the patient's eye 120-1 and is reflected, generating a reflected light 124. The reflected light 124 propagates towards the user 130 via the observation optical system 111, enabling the user to view the structures within the patient's eye 120-1.

[0030] Simultaneously, the controller 107 transmits a command to the laser generation system 101 such that the aiming laser source 103 generates an aiming laser 105 based on the parameters. The generated NIR aiming laser 105 is directed at the patient's eye 120-1 via the laser delivery system 110 and is projected onto the patient's eye 120-1 in the form of an alignment pattern according to the command. The laser delivery system 110 scans at least an X / Y pattern and changes the beam magnification according to user input via the GUI 116 to the controller 107 to create a spot size / pattern on the tissue of the patient's eye 120-1 (aligned with the illumination optical system 118).

[0031] In step 230, a composite image of the patient's eye 120-1 and an overlay image of the alignment pattern using the reflected wavelength 121 of the NIR aiming laser 105 are generated by the HUD system 113. To generate the composite image of the patient's eye 120-1, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy system 100 is configured to use a selection of virtual spot sizes for the alignment pattern of the NIR aiming laser 105 or the actual alignment pattern. In step 240, the composite image 123 of the patient's eye 120-1 is directed to the user 130 through the eyepiece of the observation optical system 111 as a video image frame for observation. Thus, the user 130 receives a composite image including an image of the patient's eye 120-1 and an overlay image of the alignment pattern propagated by the reflected wavelength 121 of the NIR aiming laser 105. In one embodiment, the composite image of the patient's eye 120-1 includes patient data, treatment parameters, preoperative images, or current information regarding the treatment plan.

[0032] In one embodiment, the observation optical system 111 is configured to transmit approximately 10% of the reflected light 124 and allow approximately 90% of the reflected light to pass through (i.e., be lost). The observation optical system 111 is also configured to allow approximately 99% (99%) of the reflected light 124 to pass towards the user 130 and reflect approximately 1% (1%) of the reflected light 124 to be lost. Thus, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy system 100 having an image source overlaid with the microdisplay disclosed herein can serve as an alternative to a slit lamp illuminator having a conventional overlaid image source.

[0033] In the selection of the virtual spot size, in a single case, the laser delivery system 110 directs the NIR spot size of the minimum size towards the retina 120-1 of the patient's eye (for example, using a single-mode fiber or a direct imaging laser diode emitter). The reflected NIR aiming laser is captured by the CCD 114 that calculates the treatment spot size - parameter, which is the point spread function of the laser delivery system 110 and the observation optical system 112. Next, the calculated treatment spot size - parameter is communicated from the CCD 114 to the HUD system 113 via the communication link 122. Next, the HUD system 113 performs a numerical two-dimensional convolution in a well-known manner between the CCD video image frame (for example, by the processor 115) and the kernel corresponding to the true treatment beam spot size, and the HUD system 113 displays the convolved video image frame. The convolved video image is an image of the aiming laser 105 that is appropriately focused or out of focus with the "virtual" exact size.

[0034] For example, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a series of convolutional video image frames. In particular, FIG. 3 shows a convolutional image 300 (having individual convolutional image frames 300-1, 300-2, 300-3, 300-4, 300-5, 300-6, 300-7, 300-8, 300-9, 300-10, 300-11, 300-12, 300-13, 300-14, and 300-15) by an aiming laser 105 having a convolutional kernel modified to have a circular top hat beam shape. Also, FIG. 4 shows a convolutional image 310 (having individual convolutional image frames 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, 310-5, 310-6, 310-7, 310-8, 310-9, 310-10, 310-11, 310-12, 310-13, 310-14, and 310-15) by an aiming laser 105 having a convolutional kernel modified to have an annular beam shape. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the delivery by the ophthalmic illumination method and system described above results in an aiming beam of the correct size with appropriate focus and defocus characteristics. In this way, according to an embodiment, for an ophthalmic procedure (e.g., laser treatment and / or laser surgery), it is the responsible healthcare provider (e.g., a physician) who observes the alignment pattern, rather than the patient undergoing the procedure. The conventional kernel can be modified to change the beam shape of the aiming laser 105 to any geometric shape. Also, the conventional kernel can be changed to correct for defects in the true NIR beam shape (e.g., stripes from a laser diode light source).

[0035] Alternatively, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100 can utilize an aiming beam with enhanced information based on real-time processing of video image frames. To utilize an aiming beam with enhanced information, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100 is configured such that the NIR aiming laser 105 is detected as being at or near focus (e.g., convolution by a nominal spot pattern or maximum contrast detection), and for example, indicates a change in the color of the aiming beam spot projected onto the HUD. Alternatively (or simultaneously), if the NIR aiming laser 105 is determined to be in focus, the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system 100 projects a circle around the beam to identify the "thermal injury area". The "thermal injury area" is pre-calculated using a computational model of laser tissue heating or obtained from a clinical thermal injury appearance database for various combinations of spot size / pulse duration (e.g., "Effect of Pulse Duration and Burn Grade on the Size of Retinal Photocoagulation Lesions: Influence on Pattern Density" by Daniel Palanker et al, Retina 31.8 (2011): 1664 - 1669).

[0036] As detailed above, the various embodiments of this specification can be implemented in the form of methods and apparatuses for carrying out those methods. The disclosed methods are executed by a combination of hardware, software, firmware, middleware, and computer-readable media (collectively "computers") installed on and / or communicatively coupled to user devices. FIG. 5 is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary computer 400 that can be used to implement a method for ophthalmic illumination according to the various embodiments of this specification. The computer 400 includes a processor 410 operably coupled to a data storage device 420 and a memory 430. The processor 410 controls the overall operation of the computer 400 by executing computer program instructions that define such operations. A communication bus 460 facilitates the coupling and communication between the various components of the computer 400.

[0037] Computer program instructions may be stored in a data storage device 420 or a non-transitory computer-readable medium and loaded into memory 430 when execution of the computer program instructions is desired. Thus, the steps of the disclosed method (e.g., see FIG. 2) and the related descriptions above may be stored in memory 430 and / or data storage device 420 and controlled by a processor 410 that executes the computer program instructions. For example, the computer program instructions may be implemented as executable code for a computer programmed by one of ordinary skill in the art to perform the exemplary operations defined by the disclosed method. Thus, by executing the computer program instructions, processor 410 executes the algorithms defined by the disclosed method. Computer 400 also includes one or more communication interfaces 450 for communicating with other devices via a network (e.g., a wireless communication network) or a communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth®). For example, such a communication interface may be a receiver, transceiver, or modem for exchanging wired or wireless communication in any number of well-known ways. Computer 400 also includes one or more input / output devices 440 (e.g., a camera, display, keyboard, mouse, speaker, microphone, buttons, etc.) that enable user interaction with computer 400.

[0038] Processor 410 can include both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors and can be the sole processor of computer 400 or one of multiple processors. Processor 410 can include, for example, one or more central processing units (CPUs). Processor 410, data storage device 420, and / or memory 430 can include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and / or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0039] The data storage device 420 and the memory 430 each include a tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The data storage device 420 and the memory 430 each include a high-speed random access memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), or a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR RAM). Alternatively, other random access solid-state memory devices, and magnetic disk storage devices such as one or more internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, and other non-volatile memories can be included. Further, semiconductor memory devices such as erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disk read-only memories (DVD-ROMs), disks, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices can be included.

[0040] The input / output device 440 can include peripheral devices such as a camera, a printer, a scanner, and a display screen. For example, the input / output device 440 can include a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma, or a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor for displaying information to the user, a keyboard, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Alternatively, it can include a trackball that the user can input into the computer 400.

[0041] For clarity of explanation, the exemplary embodiments described herein are presented as including individual functional blocks or combinations of functional blocks. The functions represented by these blocks can use dedicated or shared hardware, including but not limited to hardware capable of executing software. As an exemplary embodiment, it can include digital signal processor ("DSP") hardware and / or software that executes the operations described herein. Thus, for example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the block diagrams herein represent conceptual diagrams of exemplary functions, operations, and / or circuits of the principles described in various embodiments herein. Similarly, flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, program code, etc. are substantially represented on a computer-readable medium and represent various processes executed by a computer, machine, or processor. Such computers, machines, processors are not explicitly shown herein. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the actual implementation of a computer or computer system may have other structures and may include other components, and that some high-level representations of the components of such a computer are for illustrative purposes only.

[0042] The systems, devices, and methods described herein can be implemented using digital circuits or using one or more computers that use well-known computer processors, memory units, storage devices, computer software, and other components. Typically, a computer includes a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. The computer may also include or be coupled to one or more mass storage devices such as one or more magnetic disks, internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, optical disks, etc.

[0043] The systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein can be implemented using computers operating in a client-server relationship. Typically, in such systems, client computers are remotely located from server computers and communicate via a network. The client-server relationship can be defined and controlled by computer programs running on respective client and server computers.

[0044] The systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein are used within a network-based cloud computing system. In such a network-based cloud computing system, a server or another processor connected to the network communicates with one or more client computers via the network. A client computer can communicate with the server, for example, via a network browser application that resides and operates on the client computer. The client computer can store data on the server and access the data via the network. The client computer can send requests for data or requests for online services to the server via the network. The server performs the requested service and provides the data to the client computer. The server also causes the client computer to perform specified functions. For example, it sends data adapted to cause the client computer to perform calculations, display specified data on a screen, etc. For example, the server can send requests adapted to cause the client computer to perform one or more method steps described herein, including one or more steps of FIG. 2. Certain steps of the methods described herein may be performed by a server or another processor in a network-based cloud computing system, as shown in FIG. 2, and / or may be performed by a client computer in a network-based cloud computing system. The steps of the methods described herein may be performed by servers and / or client computers within a network-based cloud computing system in any combination.

[0045] The systems, devices, and methods described herein are implemented using a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as a non-transitory machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor. The steps of the methods described herein can be implemented using one or more computer programs executable by such a processor, as shown in FIG. 2. A computer program is a series of computer program instructions that can be used directly or indirectly in a computer to perform a particular activity or produce a particular result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including a compiled or interpreted language, and can be deployed in any form in a computing environment, such as as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other suitable unit for use.

[0046] The foregoing detailed description is illustrative in every respect and not restrictive. The scope of the invention disclosed herein is determined, not from the detailed description, but rather from the claims, to be construed in their full scope within the meaning and range permitted by patent law. The embodiments shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Those skilled in the art can implement various other combinations of features without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. a first laser light source configured to generate treatment light; at least one second laser light source configured to generate an alignment pattern formed from near-infrared wavelengths; a processor configured to generate a composite image based on reflected light from an eye being examined by the alignment pattern directed at the eye and information regarding the eye; an ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system comprising an optical system that receives the composite image generated by the processor, receives reflected light from the eye generated by light directed at the eye, transmits the received composite image and the reflected light generated by the light directed at the eye, and superimposes the received composite image and the reflected light generated by the light directed at the eye to generate a superimposed image; wherein the information regarding the eye is one or more of patient data, treatment parameters, preoperative images, or current information regarding a treatment plan; wherein the composite image is a convolution image including a plurality of virtual spots in which the shape of the alignment pattern with a near-infrared wavelength is corrected; wherein the treatment light and the alignment pattern are directed at the eye according to an X-Y pattern scan; The treatment light is an ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system directed at the eye according to the alignment pattern.

2. The ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system according to claim 1, wherein the treatment light and the alignment pattern are aligned in accordance with the direction of the eye and coupled to each other.

3. The ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system according to claim 1, wherein the alignment pattern is visible only to a user of the ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system for examining the eye by being visualized in the generation of the composite image.

4. The ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system according to claim 1, further comprising a first controller that receives parameters for selecting a specific wavelength value of a near-infrared wavelength and transmits a command to the at least one second laser light source based on the received parameters.

5. The ophthalmic illumination and microscopy observation system according to claim 1, wherein the optical system receives the reflected light from the eye generated by the treatment light directed at the eye and transmits at least a part of the reflected light generated by the alignment pattern to a charge-coupled device.

6. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 5, wherein the charge-coupled device includes a notch filter corresponding to the near-infrared wavelength of the alignment pattern.

7. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor generates a composite image of the eye including information about the eye.

8. Means for generating treatment light from a first laser light source; Means for generating an alignment pattern formed by a near-infrared wavelength from a second laser light source; Means for generating an image based on the reflected light from the eye by the alignment pattern directed at the eye; Means for receiving the generated image and the reflected light from the eye caused by the light directed at the eye; An ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system comprising means for transmitting and superimposing the received image and the reflected light caused by the received light directed at the eye, and the received image and the reflected light caused by the received light directed at the eye, wherein the generated image is a convolution image including a plurality of virtual spots obtained by correcting the shape of the alignment pattern by a near-infrared wavelength; The treatment light and the alignment pattern are directed at the eye according to an X-Y pattern scan. An ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system capable of directing treatment light toward the eye according to an alignment pattern.

9. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 8, wherein the generated image is the one in which the composite image of the eye is generated.

10. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 8, wherein the alignment pattern is visualized in the generation of the generated image and is visible only to the user examining the eye.

11. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 8, wherein the treatment light and the alignment pattern are aligned in accordance with the direction of the eye.

12. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 8, wherein the treatment light and the alignment pattern are routed through one or more optical fibers.

13. The ophthalmic illumination and microscope observation system according to claim 8, which receives parameters for selecting a specific wavelength related to the alignment pattern and forms the alignment pattern according to the specific wavelength.

14. Stores computer program instructions for ophthalmic illumination and microscopic observation, When the computer program instructions are executed on a processor, it causes the processor to perform a predetermined operation, The operation is, Generate treatment light from a first laser light source, Generate an alignment pattern formed by a near-infrared wavelength from a second laser light source, Generate an image based on the reflected light from the eye by the alignment pattern directed at the eye, Receive the generated image and the reflected light from the eye caused by the light directed at the eye, Transmit the received image and the reflected light caused by the light directed at the received eye, and superimpose the received image and the reflected light caused by the light directed at the received eye, The generated image is a convolution image including a plurality of virtual spots obtained by correcting the shape of the alignment pattern by a near-infrared wavelength, The treatment light and the alignment pattern are directed at the eye according to an X-Y pattern scan, A non-transitory computer-readable medium including directing the treatment light toward the eye according to the alignment pattern.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the alignment pattern is visible in the generation of the image and is only visible to the user examining the eye.

16. The generated image is one in which a composite image of the eye including information about the eye is generated, and the information about the eye is one or more of patient data, treatment parameters, preoperative images, or current information regarding a treatment plan. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14.

Images