Adaptive optics line scanning ophthalmoscope

• US 8,201,943 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Physical Sciences Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Physical Sciences Incorporated
• Inventors: Hammer, Daniel X., Ferguson, R. Daniel, Mujat, Mircea, Iftimia, Nicusor V.
• Primary Examiner(s): PINKNEY, DAWAYNE
• Application Number:
  US12/688,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20100195048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 351/200, 351205-206, 351210-212, 351/221
• US Class Current: 351/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1025 for confocal scanning

Abstract

A first optical module scans a portion of an eye with a line of light, descans reflected light from the scanned portion of the eye and confocally provides output light in a line focus configuration. A detection device detects the output light and images the portion of the eye. A second optical module detects an optical distortion and corrects the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a source of optical radiation;

a line generator configured to receive the optical radiation and to form the optical radiation into a line of light;

a first optical module configured to (i) scan a portion of an eye with the line of light, (ii) descan reflected light from the scanned portion of the eye and (iii) confocally provide output light in a line focus configuration;

a detection device configured to detect the output light and to image the portion of the eye; and

a second optical module configured to (i) detect an optical distortion and (ii) correct the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection device is a linear array detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second optical module detects the optical distortion in an image from the detection device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second optical module comprises:

a wavefront sensor adapted to detect the optical distortion; and

a wavefront compensator adapted to correct the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second optical module comprises a deformable minor adapted to correct the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising at least one optical relay configured to direct the line of light to the deformable mirror.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second optical module comprises a second light source and a second optical element adapted to allow a portion of the light from the second source to pass to a wavefront sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second optical element includes a pellicle beamsplitter, dichroic beamsplitter, or any combination thereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a processor in communication with the detection device and the second optical module, the processor configured to determine the optical distortion based on at least one image from the line of light.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a processor in communication with the detection device and the second optical module, the processor configured to register an image from the line of light, count cones in an image from the line of light, or any combination thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to:

choose a key frame in the image from the line of light;

identify similar structural features in the key frame and at least one other frame in the image from the line of light; and

align the at least one other frame to the key frame to register an image from the line of light.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor is configured to:

correct for a non-uniform image background in the image from the line of light;

subtract the background and enhance the image from the line of light; and

identify regions with local maxima to obtain an estimate of each cone location based on a centroid of the region.

13. A method for imaging a portion of an eye, comprising:

forming optical radiation into a line of light;

scanning a portion of the eye with the line of light;

descanning reflected light from the scanned portion of the eye;

confocally providing output light in a line focus configuration to a detector;

imaging, with the detector, the portion of the eye from the output light;

detecting an optical distortion; and

correcting the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising detecting the optical distortion from an image from the detector.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising detecting, by a wavefront sensor, the optical distortion and correcting, with a wavefront compensator, the optical distortion.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising correcting, by a deformable mirror, the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising using light from a second light source to detect the optical distortion.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising registering an image from the line of light by:

choosing, by a computing device, a key frame in the image from the line of light;

identifying, by the computing device, similar structural features in the key frame and at least one other frame in the image from the line of light; and

aligning, by the computing device, the at least one other frame to the key frame to register an image from the line of light.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising counting cones in an image of the eye by:

correcting for, by a computing device, a non-uniform image background in the image from the line of light;

subtracting, by the computing device, the background and enhance the image from the line of light; and

identifying, by the computing device, regions with local maxima to obtain an estimate of each cone location based on a centroid of the region.

20. A method for imaging a portion of an eye, comprising:

forming optical radiation into a line of light;

imaging a portion of an eye with the line of light;

detecting an optical distortion in an image of the portion of the eye; and

correcting the optical distortion in the light of light that images the portion of the eye.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising imaging the portion of the eye to a wavefront sensor to detect the optical distortion.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising processing at least one image from the line of light to detect the optical distortion.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising compensating for the optical distortion with an adaptive optical element.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a source of optical radiation;

a cylindrical lens configured to receive the optical radiation and to form the optical radiation into a line of light;

an optical system including a scanner and at least one focusing element, the scanner configured to scan a portion of an eye with the line of light and to descan reflected light from the portion of the eye, the scanner and the at least one focusing element configured to confocally provide output light in a line focus configuration;

a linear array detector configured to detect the output light in the line focus configuration and to image the portion of the eye;

a wavefront sensor adapted to detect an optical distortion; and

a wavefront compensator adapted to correct the optical distortion in the line of light scanned on the portion of the eye.