Integrated surgical microscope and wavefront sensor

• US 20050243276A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WaveTec Vision Systems, Inc. (Alcon Incorporated)
• Inventors: Durrie, Daniel S., Van Heugten, Anthony Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/205
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1015 for wavefront analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/103 for determining refraction, e.g. refractometers, skiascopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/13 Ophthalmic microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/20 Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00842 Permanent Structural Change [PSC] in index of refraction; Limit between ablation and plasma ignition
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00848 based on wavefront
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00853 Laser thermal keratoplasty or radial keratotomy
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00868 Ciliary muscles or trabecular meshwork
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00872 Cornea
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00887 Cataract
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/007 Methods or devices for eye surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0081 Transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00827 Refractive correction, e.g. lenticle
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00831 Transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00834 Inlays; Onlays; Intraocular lenses [IOL]
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/013 Instruments for compensation of ocular refraction A61F9/008 takes precedence; Instruments for use in cornea removal, for reshaping or performing incisions in the cornea

Abstract

A wavefront sensor is integrated with a surgical microscope for allowing a doctor to make repeated wavefront measurements of a patient'"'"'s eye while the patient remains on an operating table in the surgical position. The device includes a wavefront sensor optically aligned with a surgical microscope such that their fields of view at least partially overlap. The inclusion of lightweight, compact diffractive optical components in the wavefront sensor allows the integrated device to be supported on a balancing mechanism above a patient'"'"'s head during a surgical procedure. As a result, the need to reposition the device and/or the patient between measuring optical properties of the eye and performing surgical procedures on the eye is eliminated. Many surgical procedures may be improved or enhanced using the integrated device, including but not limited to cataract surgery, Conductive Keratoplasty, Lasik surgery, and corneal corrective surgery.

Claims

1. A surgical device for measuring properties of an eye, comprising:

a surgical microscope providing a first field of view;

a wavefront sensor optically aligned with the surgical microscope and providing a second field of view, wherein the first field of view at least partially overlaps the second field of view; and

at least one diffractive optical component in the wavefront sensor for producing a measurable image of a wavefront reflected from an eye positioned within an overlapping portion of the first and second fields of view.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the surgical microscope and the wavefront sensor form an integrated surgical device that is not attached to, or integrated with, a surgical refractive correction device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the overlapping portion of the first and second fields of view is larger than the eye to be measured, such that the entire eye may be positioned within the overlapping portion of the first and second fields of view, thereby allowing the eye to be simultaneously observed via the surgical microscope and measured via the wavefront sensor.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein a focal point of the surgical microscope occurs at substantially the same optical plane as a focal point of the wavefront sensor.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the surgical microscope and the wavefront sensor share an exclusive optical pathway to the optical plane.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the wavefront sensor and the surgical microscope each comprise a separate component, and wherein the wavefront sensor is removably attached to the surgical microscope.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the wavefront sensor is removably attached to the surgical microscope via screw threads on the microscope and on the wavefront sensor.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein a lens is removably attached to the microscope via the screw threads on the microscope.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second fields of view are aligned such that an eye may be simultaneously observed and measured without adjusting a gaze angle of the eye.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one diffractive optical component comprises at least one grating.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one diffractive optical component comprises two gratings positioned in series and rotated relative to one another.

12. The device of claim 1 further comprising an aperture-sharing element positioned in an optical pathway of the wavefront sensor and of the surgical microscope.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the aperture-sharing element comprises a combiner mirror or a beam-splitter.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the surgical microscope and the wavefront sensor are the only components of the surgical device that include optical elements aligned with the aperture-sharing element.

15. The device of claim 1 further comprising a camera for converting the measurable image into computer-readable data.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the surgical microscope and the wavefront sensor do not share a lens.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the surgical microscope includes binocular optics.

18. A surgical device, comprising:

a surgical viewing device;

a wavefront measuring device attached to the surgical viewing device to form an integrated surgical tool; and

a balancing mechanism for suspending the integrated surgical tool above an object to be measured.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the footprint of the wavefront measuring device is less than 9 inches long and less than 5 inches wide.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein a field of view of the surgical viewing device at least partially overlaps a field of view of the wavefront measuring device such that the object may be simultaneously viewed via the surgical viewing device and measured via the wavefront measuring device.

21. The device of claim 18 wherein the integrated surgical tool is not attached to, or integrated with, a surgical refractive correction device.

22. The device of claim 18 wherein the wavefront measuring device includes at least one diffractive optical component for producing a measurable image of a wavefront reflected from the object to be measured.

23. A surgical device, comprising:

means for magnifying an object; and

means for measuring refractive properties of the object using at least one diffractive optical element, wherein the means for measuring is integrated with the means for magnifying such that a field of view of the means for measuring at least partially overlaps a field of view of the means for magnifying.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the means for magnifying and the means for measuring do not share a lens.

25. A surgical device for measuring properties of an eye, comprising:

a surgical microscope;

a wavefront sensor, including at least one diffractive optical element, attached to the surgical microscope; and

an aperture-sharing element in the wavefront sensor aligned with optical components in both the wavefront sensor and the surgical microscope.

26. A method for measuring properties of an eye, comprising:

generating a beam of light;

directing the beam of light toward an eye positioned at a surgical location;

receiving, via a wavefront sensor, a reflected wavefront from the eye;

diffracting the wavefront, via at least one optical component in the wavefront sensor, to create a measurable image of the wavefront;

viewing the eye at the surgical location via a surgical microscope; and

performing a surgical procedure on the eye at the surgical location.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising converting the measurable image into a computer-readable format.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the viewing step occurs simultaneously with at least one of the directing, receiving, and diffracting steps.

29. A method for measuring properties of an eye, comprising:

creating a measurable image of a wavefront reflected from the eye, via at least one diffractive optical component, while the eye is oriented at a gaze angle; and

viewing the eye through a microscope while the eye remains oriented at the gaze angle.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the creating and viewing steps are performed simultaneously.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the viewing step comprises viewing the eye through a binocular microscope.

32. The method of claim 29 further comprising performing a surgical procedure on the eye while the eye remains oriented at the gaze angle.

33. A method for measuring properties of an eye, comprising:

directing a beam of light toward an eye;

receiving, via a wavefront sensor, a reflected wavefront from the eye;

passing the wavefront through at least one grating to create a measurable image of the wavefront;

converting the measurable image into a computer-readable format;

viewing the eye through a surgical microscope during at least one of the directing, receiving, passing, and converting steps; and

performing a surgical procedure on the eye while viewing the eye through the surgical microscope.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the wavefront is passed through a first grating and a second grating rotated relative to the first grating to create a measurable image of the wavefront.