Patent ID: 6582079
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
An adaptive optical module for use with (i) a fundus camera body capable of directing light produced from a first light source into a human eye having a lens and a retina and collecting and collimating retinal reflections of said light off said retina, and (ii) an image capture subsystem for capturing images of said human eye, said adaptive optical module comprising:a wavefront sensor, a controller and a phase-compensating optical element, wherein the wavefront sensor measures phase aberrations in said retinal reflections and operates in a closed-loop fashion with said controller to control said phase-compensating optical element to compensate for such phase aberrations and produce phase-compensated retinal reflections for output to said image capture subsystem; wherein said wavefront sensor, said controller, and said phase-compensating optical element are packaged in a modular housing separate and distinct from said fundus camera body and said image capture subsystem, and wherein said adaptive optical module interfaces to said fundus camera body and said image capture subsystem via detachable connectors; wherein said wavefront sensor comprises a lenslet array and an imaging device, wherein said lenslet array spatially samples distorted wavefronts in said retinal reflections and focuses samples of the distorted wavefronts to form a test spot pattern, and wherein said imaging device captures said test spot pattern, and wherein phase aberrations in said distorted wavefronts are measured by characterizing the movement of spots in said test spot pattern; and wherein said wavefront sensor comprises a relay lens operably coupled between said lenslet array and said imaging device, and wherein said relay lens and said imaging device are mounted on a moveable stage that translates linearly along the optical axis of relay lens and said imaging device.