OPHTHALMIC DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENT

• US 3,777,738 A
• Filed: 11/23/1971
• Issued: 12/11/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kenichiro Sugita, Sinichi Ueno, Tateki Muraoka, Tetsuji Shimizu
• Original Assignee: Kenichiro Sugita, Sinichi Ueno, Tateki Muraoka, Tetsuji Shimizu
• Inventors: Sugita, Kenichiro, Shimizu, Tetsuji, Ueno, Sinichi, Muraoka, Tateki
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Kyle L.
• Application Number:
  US05/201,467
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2S,2T,2R,2N 351/6,7
• US Class Current: 600/473
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/024 for determining the visual field, e.g. perimeter types
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 4/06 having triangular shape

Abstract

A device for examining pupillary relfex so constructed that a spotlight is applied directly or indirectly to an eye of a patient to cause pupillary reflex, an infrared lamp is provided to apply infrared rays to the eye for convenience of camera work, and an infrared camera and television set or screen are provided to catch and reproduce a motion of the pupil into an image. From the image of pupillary motion reproduced on the screen, an ophthalmologist can readily and exactly know the condition of retina, or optic nervous system, without any help of oral answer or sign of the patient.

Claims

1. An optical device for diagnosis of reflexes of the pupil of an eye of an individual, comprising:

A. A substantially hemispheric shell covering the entire range of the human visual angle;

said shell provided at its apex with an opening for a TV camera and an infra-red source of light opening spaced from said apex;

B. A TV infra-red camera mounted with its lens at the apex of said hemispheric shell directed toward the fulcrum of said hemispheric screen;

C. an infra-red source of illumination mounted adjacent said infra-red source opening spaced from said camera to emit rays toward said fulcrum;

D. means for positioning said individual with his eye in the fulcrum of said hemispheric shell;

E. means for directing infra-red light from said infra-red source to the pupil of said eye;

F. means for illuminating said pupil with a spot of visible light, including an arch-shaped rotary arm provided with a plurality of lamps on its internal surface;

G. means for moving said spot of light in said hemispheric shell to vary the direction from which said spot of light appears to originate to said pupil.

2. A device for examining pupillary reflex of a patient in an erect position as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a casing for covering the upper portion of a patient'"'"''"'"'s body and having the said hemispheric shell therein and switch means for controlling the position, size, intensity and period of the said illumination located outside of the said casing.

3. An optical device for diagnosis of reflexes of the pupil of an eye of an individual, comPrising:

A. means for illuminating said pupil with a spot of visible light;

B. means for moving said spot of light in a hemispheric concave area to vary the apparent angular direction from which said spot of light appears to originate to said eye of said individual;

C. means for positioning said individual so that said eye is centered on said hemispheric concave area;

D. means for directing infra-red light at said centered eye;

E. television camera means for generating a video signal representative of the pupil reflexes of said eye as viewed under said infra-red light; and

F. television display means for displaying said video signal as a viewable picture;

said hemispheric concave area being defined by a concave arm rotatably mounted along an axis intersecting with the centered position of said eye; and

said illuminating means being mounted on the concave side of said arm, whereby movements of said spot of visible light cause a pattern of reflex responses by said pupil in dependence upon the varying apparent angle of said spot as viewed from the position of said eye, allowing said pattern of reflex responses to be viewed as televised under said infrared light.

4. An optical device for diagnosis of reflexes of the pupil of an eye of an individual, comprising:

A. a concave hemispheric light reflecting screen, B. a source of a directional beam of visible light directed to impinge upon said screen, C. means to vary the direction, intensity and duration of said beam, D. at least one source of infrared light, E. means connected to said screen to direct the emanation of infrared rays from the infrared source, F. a chin support for the chin of said individual, G. means to position said chin support, H. means to align said means to vary the direction of said beam and said means to position said chin support with each other and with said means to direct the emanation of infrared rays and with said hemispheric screen to permit positioning of said pupil at about the center point of said hemispheric screen, thereby permitting travel of said directional beam of visible light over the interior of said hemispheric screen such that both the visible light and the infrared rays illuminate the center point of said hemispheric screen, I. said means to vary the direction of said beam including means to do so at varying angles thereof within the range of a normal visual field of the individual, whereby the pupil is examined at different angles in different areas, and J. optical detecting means in optical alignment with said center point of said hemisphere for photographing said eye by infrared light to observe the responses of the eye to visible light.

5. A diagnostic optical device as claimed in claim 4, said at least one source of infrared light comprising two infrared sources.

6. An optical device according to claim 4, said at least one source of infrared light being a source of a single infrared beam, said means to align including means to align said infrared beam for continuous intersection with said illuminating light beam.

7. An optical device according to claim 8, wherein said optical detecting means comprises a television camera.

8. An optical device for diagnosis of reflexes of the pupil of an eye of an individual comprising:

A. a diagnostic table adapted for the head of said individual, B. a light-excluding chamber for the individual'"'"''"'"'s head surrounding said table, C. at least one hemispherical arm with a bearing support rotatably mounted in a ceiling of said chamber, D. A central opening within said ceiling and said bearing support, E. a television camera, including a lens barrel of said television camera protruding through said opening, F. means to rotate said bearing support with said hemispherical arm, G. means to position said pupil in alignment with a center line of said lens barrel in said chAmber, H. means to move the head of said individual vertically in alignment with the geometric center of said hemispherical arm, I. a plurality of sources of visible light beams in said arm symmetrically arranged in rows with sequentially decreasing light intensities in each row, J. said light beams being in convergence with the geometric center of said hemispheric arm which intersects with the position of the pupil to be examined, and K. at least one source of infrared light rays placed to illuminate said geometric center in optical correlation with said visible light beams, and means to control the operation of said visible light beams, said infrared rays and said means to rotate said hemispherical arm.