Slit Illumination for Refractive Surgery Microscopes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current refractive surgery treatment devices lack integrated slit projection systems, limiting patient and operator mobility and requiring separate examination setups, and rely on inefficient halogen lamps for illumination.
Innovation Solution
A refractive treatment device with two symmetrical slit projector units mounted at 40° to the optical axis, using LEDs with adjustable brightness and beam forming components, allowing for oblique slit illumination without restricting movement and enabling examinations directly under the surgical microscope.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a guide mechanism is used to transport the slit illumination projector into several positions, then the examination can be performed at different positions, but the patient's and operator's freedom of movement is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The examination system is divided into two independent components: a fixed surgical microscope for treatment and a portable slit illumination projector for examination. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently without mechanical coupling, eliminating the guide mechanism and restoring freedom of movement while maintaining position adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A portable slit illumination projector serves as an intermediary device that can be temporarily positioned at different locations around the patient's eye. This intermediary approach allows flexible examination positions without requiring a mechanically coupled system, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation.
2Illumination intensity
If the operating field light is switched off separately while the slit lamp illumination is being used, then the slit illumination can be used, but the operation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system employs dynamic control with multiple modes: the operating field light can be adjusted in intensity or switched off completely during slit illumination, and the slit projector can be independently controlled. This dynamic lighting management optimizes examination quality while maintaining operational flexibility without excessive complexity.
3Illumination intensity
If halogen lamps are used as light source for slit illumination, then sufficient illumination can be provided, but the lifespan is short and heat radiation is high
Solution Approach 1:
The light source is changed from halogen to LED technology, representing a fundamental parameter change in the illumination system. LEDs provide sufficient illumination brightness while dramatically extending lifespan and reducing heat radiation, thereby resolving the contradiction between illumination quality and durability.
4Illumination intensity
If halogen lamps are used as light source for slit illumination, then sufficient illumination can be provided, but the heat radiation is high
Solution Approach 1:
The light source is changed from halogen to LED technology, representing a fundamental parameter change in the illumination system. LEDs provide sufficient illumination brightness while dramatically extending lifespan and reducing heat radiation, thereby resolving the contradiction between illumination quality and durability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable, mobility-preserving follow-up examinations of the cornea before, during, or after treatment with improved lighting efficiency and reduced heat radiation, enhancing examination reliability and operational convenience.
Implementation Method 1
They include a light source, a projection optical system, and beam forming and/or conducting optical components
Implementation Method 2
These units include a light source, a projection optical system, and beam forming and/or conducting optical components
Implementation Method 3
two slit projector units which are mounted at an angle of about 40° to the optical axis
Implementation Method 4
a projection optical system, and beam forming and/or conducting optical components
Data Source
AI summary
A solution by which an examination of the cornea for possible encapsulations, air bubbles, or other irregularities following a refractive surgery can be carried out directly at the treatment device instead of the patient having to be transferred to an examination device.The additional slit illumination system includes two slit projector units substantially symmetrically mounted at an angle of about 40° to the optical axis of the refractive treatment device, and fixed and focused on the eye of the patient to be examined. The slit projector units include a light source, a projection optical system, and beam forming and/or conducting optical components.Although intended for surgical microscopes, it can also be used for other opthalmologic treatment devices that would benefit from a slit projection system for the examination before, during, or after the treatment procedure.