OPTHALMOSCOPE USING NATURAL PUPIL DIALATION

• US 20190090739A1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Published: 03/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: KARARGYRIS, ALEXANDROS, ZIMMERMAN, THOMAS G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,524,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0091 Fixation targets for viewing direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction

Abstract

An ophthalmic device having a single or dual compartment configuration selectively emits infrared and visible light beams onto one or a pair of target eyes. The device performs eye fundus imaging and aids in the detection of ailments as indicated by anomalies in the pupillary reflex.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a power source;

a light source comprising an infrared light source and a visible light source, the light source being operatively connected to the power source;

an image sensor positioned adjacent to the light source along a first axis, wherein the light source is either inline or coaxial relative to the light source;

a lens positioned between the light source and the image sensor, inline relative to the image sensor along the first axis; and

a housing unit comprising the power source, the light source, the image sensor, or the lens, or any combination thereof, and further comprising an opening having an external-light blocking eyepiece, the opening being positioned adjacent to the light source opposite the lens and inline relative to the lens along the first axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control unit comprising a processor and a tangible storage device storing program instructions executable by the processor, the program instructions comprising instructions to:

emit, by the infrared light source, infrared light in the direction of the opening for a period of time by energizing the infrared light source via the power source;

capture, by the image sensor, a reflection of the infrared light;

identify, by the image sensor, an image of an eye by analyzing the captured reflection of the infrared light;

measure, by the image sensor, pupil dilation in the eye by analyzing the identified image of the eye; and

determine, by the processor, that the pupil is dilated by a first amount greater than or equal to a pre-configured dilation measurement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by the visible light source, at least two beams of visible light in sequence, during a period of time for visible light emission, by energizing the visible light source via the power source, the at least two beams of visible light comprising a first beam of visible light having a first energy and a second beam of visible light having a second energy greater than the first energy.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the period of time for visible light emission is greater than zero and less than or equal to 200 milliseconds.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the at least two beams of visible light are emitted for an equal portion of the period of time for visible light emission.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

detect, by the image sensor, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light;

generate, by the processor, a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction and an expected response time of pupil constriction; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by the infrared light source, a beam of infrared light;

capture, by the image sensor, a reflection of the beam of infrared light; and

output, by the I/O device, one or more images of the captured reflection of the beam of infrared light.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is coaxial relative to the light source, and the apparatus further comprises:

a mirror positioned inline relative to the image sensor and the lens along the first axis, and inline relative to the light source along a second axis, the first axis being perpendicular relative to the second axis.

9. An apparatus comprising a housing unit, the housing unit comprising a first compartment and a second compartment operatively connected to one or more power sources, each of the first compartment and the second compartment comprising:

a light source comprising an infrared light source and a visible light source, the light source being operatively connected a power source;

an image sensor positioned adjacent to the light source along a first axis, wherein the light source is either inline or coaxial relative to the light source;

a lens positioned between the light source and the image sensor, inline relative to the image sensor along the first axis; and

an opening having an external-light blocking eyepiece, the opening being positioned adjacent to the light source opposite the lens and inline relative to the lens along the first axis.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising at least one control unit comprising a processor and a tangible storage device storing program instructions executable by the processor, the program instructions comprising instructions to:

emit, by respective infrared light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, infrared light in the direction of the opening for a period of time by energizing the infrared light source via the power source;

capture, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, a reflection of the infrared light;

identify, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, an image of an eye by analyzing the captured reflection of the infrared light;

measure, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, pupil dilation in the eye by analyzing the identified image of the eye; and

determine, by the processor, for each of the first compartment and the second compartment, that the pupil is dilated by a first amount greater than or equal to a pre-configured dilation measurement.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by either or both of respective visible light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, at least two beams of visible light in sequence in one compartment, during a period of time for visible light emission, by energizing the visible light source via the power source, the at least two beams of light comprising a first beam of visible light having a first energy and a second beam of visible light having a second energy greater than the first energy.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the period of time for visible light emission is greater than zero and less than or equal to 200 milliseconds.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the at least two beams of visible light are emitted for an equal portion of the period of time for visible light emission.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

detect, by the image sensor, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light in the first compartment, the second compartment, or both;

generate a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction and an expected response time of pupil constriction; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

detect, by the image sensor of the first compartment, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye positioned at the opening of the first compartment, in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light in the first compartment, wherein emission of the at least two beams of visible light in sequence is exclusive to the first compartment for the period of time for visible light emission;

generate a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction of the eye in the first compartment and the measured response time of pupil constriction of the eye in the second compartment; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit further comprises an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by respective infrared light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, respective beams of infrared light;

capture, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, a reflection of the respective beams of infrared light; and

output, by the I/O device, one or more images of the captured reflection of the respective beams of infrared light in the first compartment and the second compartment.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a pair of light emitting devices configured to emit a light beam onto a pair of target eyes, the light beam comprising infrared light and visible light;

one opening or a pair of openings configured to couple with the pair of target eyes to block light external to the apparatus from hitting the pair of target eyes;

a pair of image sensors configured to capture light reflected from the pair of target eyes; and

a pair of lenses configured to focus light reflected from the pair of target eyes onto the pair of image sensors.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a controller unit configured to illuminate the pair of target eyes with a plurality of successively more energetic light beams within a period of time.

19. A method for examining a pair of target eyes of a patient using an apparatus, the method comprising:

covering the pair of target eyes with one or a pair of external-light blocking eyepieces of the apparatus, the covering comprising positioning the pair of external-light blocking eyepieces in contact with the patient'"'"'s face;

monitoring pupil dilation of the target pairs of eyes for a period of time while the pair of external-light blocking eyepieces are in contact with the patient'"'"'s face; and

emitting, by a pair of light sources of the apparatus based on the monitoring, infrared light at the pair of target eyes; and

detecting, using a pair of image sensors of the apparatus, infrared light reflected by the pair of target eyes in response to the emission of infrared light by the pair of light sources.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the monitoring comprises:

detecting pupils of the target pairs of eyes reaching maximum dilation.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

emitting, selectively by one of the light sources towards a first eye in the pair of target eyes, at least two beams of visible light in sequence, during a period of time for visible light emission, by energizing the light source via a power source, the at least two beams of light comprising a first beam of visible light having a first energy and a second beam of visible light having a second energy greater than the first energy.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

capturing images of the first eye and the second eye;

measuring, based on the captured images, a response time of pupil constriction in the first eye relative to pupil constriction in a second eye in the pair of target eyes;

generating a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response times of pupil constriction in the first eye and the second eye; and

outputting, by an I/O device of the apparatus, the delta report.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the period of time for visible light emission is greater than zero and less than or equal to 200 milliseconds.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the emitting further comprises:

emitting, selectively by one of the light sources towards a first eye in the pair of target eyes, at least one beam for each distinct visible light spectrum color, in sequence from least energized to most energized.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein pupil dilation during at least a portion of the period of time for visible light emission is less than 100%.