DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE VISUAL FIELD

• US 20120133890A1
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG (Ziemer Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG (Ziemer Group AG)
• Inventors: Rathjen, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,591,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/024 for determining the visual field, e.g. perimeter types
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement

Abstract

A device (1) for determining the visual field comprises a screen (11) for displaying test patterns, an eye monitoring module (13) for capturing eye movements of a patient (20), and a processing module (10) for determining the visual field of the patient on the basis of the eye movements when the test patterns are displayed. The device (1) moreover comprises a mirror (12), which is aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient (20) for determining the visual field, for deflecting the test patterns from the screen (11) to the eyes. The use of the mirror (12) aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient results in a particularly compact design of the device (1) for determining the visual field, which device makes the same geometric and optical measurement conditions possible for both eyes.

Claims

1. A device for determining a visual field of a patient, comprising:

a screen for displaying test patterns,

a mirror, which is aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient for determining the visual field, for deflecting the test patterns from the screen to the eyes of the patient,

an eye monitoring module for capturing eye movements of the patient, and

a processing module configured to determine viewing directions of the patient on the basis of the eye movements when the test patterns are displayed and establish the visual field of the patient on the basis of the viewing directions determined for the test patterns.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the screen is positioned lying on a horizontal support surface, and includes a screen display area, aligned substantially horizontally, that is facing away from the support surface.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the screen and the mirror are rotatably coupled, rotatable about an axis along one of their longitudinal sides such that a mirroring surface of the mirror and a screen display area of the screen face one another, and the screen and mirror are movable between an open position and a closed position.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising two stray-light protective screens that are respectively aligned substantially perpendicular to the axis and connected to the screen and the mirror in an edge region of the screen and the mirror, and arranged in an aperture angle between the screen and the mirror.

5. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a sight screen positioned between the screen display area and the patient for determining the visual field such that the screen display area is not directly visible to the patient.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a distance sensor for determining a relative distance between the eyes and the mirror and wherein the processing module is designed to establish the visual field of the patient depending on the relative distance of the eyes.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to display a sequence of test patterns on the screen, respectively determine the viewing direction of an eye of the patient when the test patterns are displayed and store said viewing direction assigned to the respective test pattern, and establish the visual field of the patient for one or both eyes on the basis of the viewing directions captured for the sequence of test patterns.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processing module is configured to dynamically adapt the sequence of test patterns depending on viewing directions captured for the patient.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to display one or more reference patterns on the screen, wherein the eye monitoring module is configured to capture reference patterns reflected from an eye of the patient and wherein the processing module is designed to determine the viewing direction of an eye of the patient, respectively, based on the reflected reference pattern.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to capture a reaction time of the patient, respectively depending on the eye movements, when the test patterns are displayed and to store spatially dependent reaction times in the visual field of the patient.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eye monitoring module is arranged on a side of the mirror facing away from the patient during the visual field test, and wherein the mirror has a point, placed in front of the eye monitoring module and permeable to light at least specific wavelengths, for determining the eye movements.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eye monitoring module is arranged on a side of the mirror facing toward the patient during the visual field test and wherein the eye monitoring module is configured to determine the eye movements via the mirror.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eye monitoring module, is arranged with a direct line of sight to the eyes of the patient and outside of a mirroring surface of the mirror.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eye monitoring module comprises two image sensors and is configured to establish the eye movements of an eye in a stereoscopic fashion.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mirror is embodied with a non-planar mirror surface for increasing the field angle.

16. A method for determining a visual field of a patient, comprising the steps of:

displaying test patterns on a screen,

deflecting the test patterns from the screen to the eyes of the patient via a mirror aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient for determining the visual field,

capturing eye movements of the patient,

determining viewing directions of the patient on the basis of the eye movements when the test patterns are displayed, and

establishing the visual field of the patient on the basis of the viewing directions determined for the test patterns.