Stereoscopic Color Eye Imaging for Low-Cost 3D Depth Profiling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ophthalmological imaging technologies, such as OCT devices, are expensive and require trained operators, limiting their accessibility in less developed countries or rural areas, while conventional methods like stereo-based topography and cSLO suffer from eye motion artifacts and long imaging durations that degrade image quality.
Innovation Solution
A stereoscopic color eye imaging apparatus that includes illumination optics, a scanner, an optical image capture device, and an image processor to capture and process first and second images at different times and angles, allowing for the reconstruction of a 3D depth profile with minimal training and lower costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If OCT devices are used for high-quality retinal imaging, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system is divided into separate functional modules: illumination optics for light delivery, scanner for beam steering, optical image capture device for image acquisition, and image processor for computational reconstruction. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture, making it more accessible while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A scanner acts as an intermediary component that redirects illumination light toward the retina and directs backscattered light to the camera. This intermediary enables the system to achieve OCT-like depth resolution through computational reconstruction without requiring the complex interferometric hardware of traditional OCT devices.
2Device complexity
If conventional stereo-based topography or cSLO is used for retinal imaging, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality deteriorates due to eye motion artifacts and long imaging duration
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures images at high frame rates using a rolling shutter camera, ensuring that image acquisition is ongoing without interruption. This continuous action allows for the selection of the best quality frames and reduces the impact of eye motion artifacts, improving image reliability while maintaining simple device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination light is pre-configured to illuminate the retina before image capture begins, and the scanner is pre-positioned to direct the beam. This preliminary preparation ensures that imaging can start immediately without prolonged setup time, reducing eye motion artifacts and improving image quality while keeping the device simple.
3Ease of operation
If traditional stereoscopic imaging is used, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of information occurs due to inability to capture depth information
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures two-dimensional retinal images at multiple angles using the scanner and combines them computationally to reconstruct three-dimensional depth profiles. This dimensionality transformation allows the system to maintain ease of operation similar to traditional stereoscopic imaging while recovering depth information that would otherwise be lost, enabling accurate measurement of retinal layer thickness and topography.
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
The apparatus provides high-quality, low-cost stereoscopic imaging comparable to conventional DLO and cSLO, reducing eye motion artifacts and enabling accurate 3D depth profiling for eye diseases like AMD and glaucoma, suitable for remote and under-resourced areas.
Implementation Method 1
illumination optics including an illumination light source configured to output an illumination light, a scanner configured to receive the illumination light from the illumination optics, and redirect the illumination light toward a portion of an object to be imaged
Implementation Method 2
a camera configured to receive backscattered light that is scattered from the illumination light by the object and capture first and second images of the backscattered light
Data Source
AI summary
An ophthalmological imaging device includes illumination optics having an illumination light source that outputs an illumination light, a scanner that redirects the illumination light toward a portion of an object to be imaged, and an optical image capture device including a camera that receives backscattered light that is scattered from the illumination light by the object and captures first and second images of the backscattered light. The device also includes a control processor that controls the scanner and the optical image capture device to cause the optical image capture device to capture the first and second images of the object. The first and second images are captured by the camera at different times and extracted from different portions of the backscattered light. The device also includes an image processor that generates a stereoscopic image from the first and second images of the object.