Eye Surgery Microscopy System for Toric Lens Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
During cataract surgery, aligning a toric intraocular lens is challenging due to patient eye movements and vibrations of the microscopy system, which makes it difficult to maintain a stable image for precise alignment, especially at higher magnifications.
Innovation Solution
An eye surgery microscopy system that uses image processing to automatically determine and display the position and orientation of a toric intraocular lens by localizing ring-shaped brightness transitions at the limbus or pupil edge, employing ring filters and color transformations to compute the center and marking positions, allowing for movement-compensated visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual template alignment is used for toric intraocular lens positioning, then the surgeon can visually align the lens with reference markings, but the process becomes time-consuming and imprecise due to image instability from patient eye movements and system vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical template alignment process with an automated image processing system. The computer unit automatically detects reference markings in the video image, computes their positions and orientations, and determines the target position for the toric intraocular lens without requiring manual template manipulation. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming manual alignment process while improving precision through automated computational analysis of multiple video frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital representation (copy) of the reference markings by detecting their positions and orientations in the video image. The computer unit generates virtual target position indicators that are superimposed on the video display, replacing the need for physical templates. This digital copying approach allows for rapid, repeatable, and precise alignment measurements without manual intervention.
2Illumination intensity
If high magnification is used to improve visualization of the surgical region, then the surgeon can see finer details, but image stability deteriorates due to amplified vibrations and patient eye movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic image stabilization system that continuously tracks the positions of reference markings across multiple video frames. The computer unit computes the movement of the eye and the microscopy system in real-time and adjusts the displayed image accordingly. This dynamic compensation allows the system to maintain image stability even at high magnifications where vibrations and eye movements would normally cause significant instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from continuous video image analysis to stabilize the displayed image. The computer unit detects the positions of reference markings in each video frame, compares them to previous frames to determine movement, and automatically adjusts the display to compensate for this movement. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables high-magnification visualization while maintaining image stability by continuously correcting for vibrations and eye movements.
3Ease of operation
If reference markings are applied to the patient eye to aid alignment, then the surgeon has visual references for lens positioning, but additional marking steps are required and the markings may shift during surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the system to automatically detect and track reference markings without requiring manual intervention for their application or measurement. The computer unit autonomously analyzes the video image to locate the markings, compute their positions and orientations, and determine the target position for the toric intraocular lens. This self-service capability eliminates the need for additional manual marking steps and reduces the complexity of the overall procedure by automating the alignment measurement process.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an eye surgery microscopy system (1) having an imaging optic (14, 11) for the generation of the image of an object plane (15) and having an electronic image sensor (22), which detects the image of the object plane (15) and is connected to a computer unit (5) for the computation of the position of the center of a circular structure (44) of a patient eye (16). The computer unit (5) is designed for the computation of the position of a patient eye (16) outside of the center (52) of the circular structure (44) and provided with at least one marking (46, 48). The computer unit (5) determines the position of the at least one marking (46, 48) with reference to the computed center (52) by means of image processing via correlation with a comparison information, and an angular position of the at least one marking (46, 48) with reference to the computed center (52) by means of image processing.