Patent ID: 12226155

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatus for displaying imaging markers on ophthalmic images for verifying biometry.

Axial length measurements are critical in selecting the correct intraocular lens with the correct lens power for a patient. Macular abnormalities and/or diseases may affect axial length measurements performed by existing systems. For example, a macular hole may cause an existing system to select an incorrect location away from the fovea as the location of the fovea. Similarly, macular abnormalities may affect the existing systems' ability to measure from a correct depth of the eye. For example, when macular abnormalities, such as an elevated macula, are present in an eye, an existing system's axial length measurement from a macular surface of the elevated macula may result in a shorter axial length measurement. The existing systems fail to provide any visual indication to a user (e.g., clinician, surgeon, and the like) of how the axial length of the patient is measured. Failing to provide visual indication of how the axial length of the patient is measured fails to provide the user an efficient and an easy way to verify the axial length measurements by the system.

Accordingly, some implementations of the present disclosure provide various systems and techniques that improve a user's ability to efficiently verify whether axial length measurements are accurate and performed correctly by an imaging system. In some implementations, the techniques for improving a user's ability to efficiently verify the accuracy of the axial length measurements are based on visual indicators provided on an image displayed to the user.

FIG.1illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example imaging system100. The imaging system100includes an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner102, an OCT controller104, and a display106.

The OCT scanner102may include a number of OCT components and/or instruments (not shown separately). The OCT components and/or instruments may be of various types, and the OCT scanner102may be configured differently based on the types of the OCT components and/or instruments. In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may be configured as a time domain OCT (TD-OCT). In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may be configured as a frequency domain OCT (FD-OCT). In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may be configured as a swept-source OCT (SS-OCT).

The OCT scanner102performs OCT scanning of an eye110of a patient. The OCT scanner102may perform the OCT scanning by controlling output of one or more sample beams (not shown) onto the eye110, and receiving one or more measurement beams (not shown) reflected back from the eye110. The one or more measurement beams may be reflected back from the eye110in response to the photons of the sample beam interacting with the tissue in the eye110. The OCT scanner102may be configured to move the sample beam to a certain location of the eye in response to receiving a command and/or location information from the OCT controller104.

The OCT scanner102may be configured to scan the eye110at various depths of the eye110. For example, the OCT scanner102may be configured to scan the entire depth of the eye110for a full eye scan of the eye110. Similarly, the OCT scanner102may be configured to scan any portion of the eye110, such as the retina of the eye110. In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may scan different depths of the eye110at different resolutions. For example, the OCT scanner102may scan the entire depth of the eye110at a lower resolution, and may scan a portion of the eye110, such as the retina of the eye110, at a higher resolution.

The OCT scanner102may be configured to generate scan data based on the one or more measurement beams reflected back from the eye. The scan data may represent a depth profile of the scanned tissue. In some implementations, the scan data generated by the OCT scanner102may include two-dimensional (2D) scan data of a line scan (B-scan). In some implementations, the scan data generated by the OCT scanner102may include three-dimensional (3D) scan data of an area scan (C-scan, en face). The OCT scanner102may be configured to transmit the generated scan data to the OCT controller104. In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may be configured to transmit the generated scan data in real-time or near real-time. In some implementations, the OCT scanner102may be configured to transmit the generated scan data after the entire scanning operation is completed by the OCT scanner102.

The OCT scanner102may be configured to initiate scanning of the eye110in response to receiving a command and/or instruction from the OCT controller104. The OCT controller104may be configured to transmit a scan initiation command to the OCT scanner102in response to receiving an indication from a user, such as a surgeon, clinician, medical personnel, and the like, to initiate scanning of the eye. In some implementations, the indication from the user may provide information related to depth and/or location of the eye for scanning, and the OCT controller104may be configured to provide the received eye depth and/or location related information to the OCT scanner102. For example, an indication received by the OCT controller104may indicate a full eye OCT scan, and the OCT controller104may transmit an instruction to the OCT scanner102that indicates a full eye OCT scan. Similarly, an indication received by the OCT controller104may indicate an OCT scan of the retina of the eye, and the OCT controller104may transmit an instruction to the OCT scanner102that indicates an OCT scan of the retina of the eye.

The OCT controller104may be configured to receive the indication to initiate scanning of the eye via a user interface (e.g., a graphical user interface (GUI)) and/or an input device (not shown). Input devices may be communicatively coupled to and/or incorporated with the imaging system100. Examples of input devices include, but are not limited to, a key pad, a keyboard, a touch screen device configured to receive touch inputs, and the like.

The OCT controller104may be communicatively coupled to the OCT scanner102via one or more electrical and/or communication interfaces. In some implementations, the one or more electrical and/or communication interfaces may be configured to transmit data (e.g., scan data generated by the OCT scanner102) from the OCT scanner102at a high transmission rate such that the OCT controller104may receive the data in real-time or near real-time from the OCT scanner102.

The OCT controller104may be configured to generate one or more OCT images based on the received generated scan data from the OCT scanner102. For example, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate a 2D image or a B-scan image based on the generated 2D scan data of a line scan. Similarly, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate a 3D image or a C-scan based on the generated 3D scan data of an area scan. The OCT controller104may be configured to perform image generation and/or image processing in real-time and/or near real-time.)

The OCT controller104may be configured with one or more tissue detection and/or auto-segmentation algorithms to detect and/or auto-segment one or more tissue layers of the eye in the generated OCT images. Examples of tissue layers of an eye that the OCT controller104may be configured to detect and/or auto-segment include, but are not limited to, fovea, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), anterior surface of the cornea, retina, cornea, iris, pupil, anterior and posterior surface plus the position of the lens, and the like. The OCT controller104may be configured to apply one or more tissue detection and/or auto-segmentation algorithms on the received scan data from the OCT scanner102and/or the generated OCT images to detect and/or auto-segment one or more tissue layers of the scanned eye.

Based on the received scan data from the OCT scanner102and/or the generated OCT images, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate enhanced OCT images by generating and/or displaying one or more virtual markers on one or more OCT images to visually identify one or more detected and/or auto-segmented tissue layers of the eye.

The OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display one or more virtual markers on an OCT image (e.g., the generated OCT image) to visually identify one or more detected and/or auto-segmented tissue layers of the eye. For example, the OCT controller104may be configured to detect and/or auto-segment the fovea of the eye on an OCT image, and generate and/or display a virtual marker on the OCT image to visually identify a location of the fovea and/or segment at least a portion of the fovea. Similarly, the OCT controller104may be configured to detect and/or auto-segment RPE of the eye on an OCT image, and generate and/or display a virtual marker on the OCT image to visually identify a location of the RPE and/or segment at least a portion of the RPE.

The OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display the virtual markers in various shapes and/or sizes. For example, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display virtual markers that are curved, such as curvilinear lines. Similarly, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display virtual markers that are straight lines and/or radial lines that converge to and/or through a location in the eye (e.g., a location of a detected fovea in the eye). The OCT controller104may be configured to generate enhanced OCT images by generating and/or displaying virtual markers on OCT images (e.g., the OCT images generated by the OCT controller104).

In some implementations, based on the OCT images and/or scan data, the OCT controller104may be configured to detect an abnormal macular anatomic configuration (e.g., abnormal macular condition) in the eye110. In response to detecting the abnormal macular anatomic configuration, the OCT controller104may be configured to transmit an alert to the user advising against using a contrast decreasing multi-focal intraocular optical lens (IOL) or extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL. In some implementations, the OCT controller104may be configured to periodically transmit the alert until the OCT controller104receives a confirmation from a user acknowledging the alert.

The OCT controller104may be configured to cause OCT images and/or the enhanced OCT images to be displayed to a user by providing the images to the display106to be displayed to the user. The OCT controller104may be communicatively coupled and/or electrically connected to the display106. The display106may be configured in compliance with one or more display standards and may be of any various types of displays, such as video graphics array (VGA), extended graphics array (XGA), digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), and the like.

FIG.2illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an implementation of an OCT controller, such as the OCT controller104as described above in reference withFIG.1. As shown inFIG.2, OCT controller104includes processor201, bus202, display interface204, memory210, communication interface220.

The processor201may be communicatively coupled to memory210, display interface204, and communication interface220via bus202. The OCT controller104may be configured to interface with various external components (e.g., OCT scanner102, display106) of an imaging system (e.g., imaging system100) via processor201and communication interface220. In some implementations, communication interface220may be configured to enable OCT controller104to connect to a network (not shown). In some implementations, the OCT controller104may be connected to one or more displays, such as display106, via display interface204.

The memory210may include persistent, volatile, fixed, removable, magnetic, and/or semiconductor media. The memory210may be configured to store one or more machine-readable commands, instructions, data, and/or the like. In some implementations, as shown inFIG.2, the memory210may include one or more sets and/or sequences of instructions, such as an operating system212, a scanning control application214, and the like. Examples of operating system212may include, but are not limited to, UNIX or UNIX-like operating system, a Windows® family operating system, or another suitable operating system. The scanning control application214may be configured to perform OCT controller operations as described herein including, but not limited to, operations related to initiation of scanning of the eye, generation of OCT images, OCT image processing, generation and/or displaying of virtual markers on OCT images, generation of enhanced OCT images, and the like.

FIG.3Aillustrates an example OCT image300aof an eye (e.g., the eye110). The OCT image300a, as shown inFIG.3A, is a full eye OCT scan. As described above, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate the OCT image300abased on the scan data received from the OCT scanner102. As described above, the OCT controller104may be configured to detect and/or auto-segment one or more tissue layers of the eye based on the generated OCT images and/or the received scan data. Further, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display, in an enhanced OCT image, virtual markers visually indicating one or more of the detected and/or auto-segmented tissue layers.

FIG.3Billustrates an example enhanced OCT image300bof the eye (e.g., the eye110) generated based on the OCT image300a. As shown in the example ofFIG.3B, the OCT controller104detects an anterior surface and posterior portion of the cornea of the eye and generates and/or displays virtual markers301and302that visually identify the anterior surface and posterior portion of the cornea of the eye, respectively. In the example of FIG.3B, the OCT controller104detects the pupil of the eye and generates and/or displays a virtual marker303that visually identifies a location and/or at least a portion of the pupil in the enhanced OCT image300b. Similarly, the OCT controller104detects a lens and/or a posterior portion of the lens of the eye, and generates and/or displays a virtual marker304that visually identifies an anterior and/or posterior portion of the lens of the eye in the enhanced OCT image300b. The OCT controller104may detect and/or auto-segment a fovea and the RPE of the eye, and generate and/or display virtual markers305and306that visually identify locations of the RPE and the fovea, respectively, in the enhanced OCT image300b. As shown inFIG.3B, the virtual marker306intersects a middle portion of the detected and/or auto-segmented portion of the fovea.

As described above, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display virtual markers that may be of various shapes and sizes. For example, as shown inFIG.3B, the shape of the virtual markers301and302are curved, while the shape of the virtual marker306is straight. In some implementations, the virtual marker306may be a radial line that converges to a location of the detected fovea. In some implementations, the shapes and/or sizes of the virtual makers may reflect and/or match the shapes and/or sizes of the tissue layers displayed OCT images. For example, the curvature of the virtual marker301matches curvature of the anterior surface of the cornea of the eye, and the curvature of the virtual marker302matches curvature of the posterior portion of the cornea of the eye. Similarly, the virtual marker305may be a curvilinear line and the curvilinear line matches a posterior curvature of the eye110.

The OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display one or more virtual markers that visually identify portions of the eye upon which biometric measurements are performed by the OCT controller104. For example, as described above, an axial length of the eye is the distance between the fovea of the eye and an anterior surface of the eye. Therefore, in some implementations, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display the virtual marker306in a manner such that the virtual marker306may extend at least from the anterior surface of the cornea of the eye and through the fovea of the eye. In some implementations, the OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display the virtual marker306in a manner such that the virtual marker306may extend from a portion anterior to the retina and through the fovea of the eye.

As described above, abnormal macula conditions and/or macular diseases may cause anatomical changes of the macula, and certain existing OCT imaging system may fail to detect the abnormal macula condition and/or disease, resulting in an incorrect axial length measurement without providing any mechanism to the user to verify that the measurement is correct and/or providing any alert to user of the macular condition and/or disease. The OCT controller104, however, by generating and/or displaying the virtual markers, visually indicates the tissue layers detected by the imaging system100(e.g., via the OCT controller104) to the user, and allows the user to determine whether the biometric measurements are made from the correct locations and sufficient depths of the eye.

For example, inFIG.3B, the OCT controller104generates and/or displays a virtual marker305along the detected and/or auto-segmented RPE of the eye, and generates and/or displays the virtual marker306that intersects the virtual marker305to visually indicate to the user that the axial length measurement is being made from a correct portion of the eye, e.g., the fovea of the eye, and not from an incorrect portion of the eye, e.g., a macular hole of the eye. Thus, the virtual markers generated and/or displayed by the OCT controller104on the enhanced OCT images, as described herein, allow the user to efficiently confirm that the imaging system100correctly measured the axial length measurements.

As described above, in some implementations, the OCT controller104may be configured to initiate scans at various depths of the eye and/or at different resolutions to provide the user with additional OCT enhanced images that also allow the user to verify whether the biometric measurements (e.g., axial length) are accurate. For example, in response to the completion of the OCT scanning for image300aofFIG.3A, the OCT controller104may initiate a scan of the retina of the eye.

FIG.4Aillustrates an example OCT image400aof a retina of an eye (e.g., eye110). The OCT controller104may generate the OCT image400abased on the scan data of the retina received from the OCT scanner102. The OCT controller104may be configured to detect and/or auto-segment tissue layers of the retina, such as the fovea, the RPE, and the like, based on the scan data of the retina and/or the OCT image400aof the retina. The OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display virtual markers on an enhanced OCT image, such as the example enhanced OCT image400bofFIG.4B, to visually identify the detected and/or auto-segmented tissue layers of the retina.

The enhanced OCT image400bofFIG.4Bis an example enhanced OCT image generated based on OCT image400a. In the example enhanced OCT image400b, the OCT controller104generates and/or displays virtual markers401, and402, to visually identify the detected and/or auto-segmented RPE, and foveal pit of the eye, respectively. The virtual marker401may be a curvilinear line. The curvature of the curvilinear line of virtual marker401may match a posterior curvature of the eye110. The virtual marker402may be a radial line that converges to a location of the detected fovea. The OCT controller104may be configured to generate and/or display one or more virtual markers on an enhanced OCT image of a shallower depth that correspond to one or more virtual markers generated and/or displayed on a previous enhanced OCT image of a deeper depth for the same patient. For example, in image400b, as shown inFIG.4B, the virtual marker402, which visually identifies a location and/or segments at least a portion of the foveal pit, corresponds to the virtual marker306ofFIG.3Bthat visually identifies the location and/or segments at least the portion of the foveal pit in the enhanced OCT image300b. Similarly, virtual marker401, which visually identifies and/or segments at least a portion of the RPE, corresponds to the virtual marker305ofFIG.3Bthat visually identifies the location and/or segments at least the portion of the RPE in the enhanced OCT image300b.

Therefore, by generating and/or displaying corresponding virtual markers on enhanced OCT images of different depths, the OCT controller104allows a user to verify the accuracy of the biometric measurements and/or the accuracy of measurement locations within the eye of the patient in more detail. For example, the OCT controller104may generate and/or display a radial virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306and virtual marker402) through the fovea and a curvilinear virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306and virtual marker402) at the RPE on an OCT scan (e.g., enhanced OCT images300band400b). The OCT controller104may generate and/or display the radial virtual marker through the fovea at a location that perpendicularly intersects the curvilinear virtual marker at the RPE and/or segmenting a portion of the RPE.

FIG.5illustrates a flow chart of an example method for displaying imaging markers on ophthalmic images, in accordance with an illustrative implementation of the present disclosure. The operations500may be performed, for example, by an OCT controller (e.g., the OCT controller104of imaging system100). The operations500may be implemented as software components that are executed and run on one or more processors (e.g., processor201).

The operations500may begin at502, where the OCT controller104receives an indication to initiate a first optical OCT scanning of an eye. At504, the OCT controller104initiates, based on the received indication, the first OCT scanning of the eye (e.g., a full eye scan, a retina scan, and the like). At506, the OCT controller104, generates based on the first OCT scanning (e.g., based on scan data), a first OCT image of the eye (e.g., OCT image300a, OCT image400a). At508, the OCT controller104, detects, based on the first OCT image, a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of the eye and a fovea in the eye. At510, the OCT controller104, based on the detecting, causes a first enhanced OCT image to be displayed to a user, where the first enhanced OCT image (e.g., enhanced OCT image300b, enhanced OCT image400b) displays: a first virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker305, virtual marker401) segmenting at least a portion of the detected RPE, where the first virtual marker is a curvilinear line, and a second virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306, virtual marker402), where the second virtual marker visually identifies a location of the detected fovea, and where the second virtual marker is a radial line through the location of the detected fovea.

In some implementations, the OCT controller104, detects, based on the first OCT image, an abnormal macular anatomic configuration (e.g., abnormal macular condition) in the eye, and in response to detecting the abnormal macular anatomic configuration, the OCT controller104transmits an alert to the user advising against using a multi-focal IOL (e.g., a contrast decreasing multi-focal or EDOF IOL).

In some implementations, the OCT controller104, initiates, in response to the completion of the first OCT scanning, a second OCT scanning of the eye. In some implementations, the OCT controller104generates, based on the second OCT scanning, a second OCT image of the eye. In some implementations, the OCT controller104detects, based on the second OCT image, the RPE in the eye and the fovea in the eye. In some implementations, the OCT controller104displays, based on the detecting, on a second enhanced OCT image: a third virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker305, virtual marker401) segmenting at least a same portion of the detected RPE as the first virtual marker, a fourth virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306, virtual marker402) across at least a same portion of the location of the detected fovea as the first virtual marker. In some implementations, the OCT controller104causes the second enhanced OCT image to be displayed (e.g., via display106) to the user.

In some implementations, the OCT controller104transmits an alert to the user, where the alert requests the user to confirm whether the fovea is accurately detected at least in one of the first enhanced OCT image or the second OCT enhanced image. In some implementations, the second OCT scanning of the eye is a retinal scanning of the eye and the second OCT image of the eye is a retinal image of the eye (e.g., image400a).

In some implementations, the third virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker305, virtual marker401) is a curvilinear line and wherein a curvature of the curvilinear line matches a posterior curvature of the eye. In some implementations, the first virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker305, virtual marker401) and the second virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306, virtual marker402) intersect perpendicularly. In some implementations, the fourth virtual marker is a straight line (e.g., a radial line through the location of the detected fovea).

In some implementations, the second virtual marker (e.g., virtual marker306) is extended through an anterior portion of a retina of the eye on the first enhanced OCT image (e.g., image300b). In some implementations, the first OCT image (e.g., image300a) is an OCT B-scan image and a full biometry of the eye.

The methods and apparatus described above provide novel systems and methods for displaying virtual imaging markers that may be utilized to improve accuracy and verification of biometric measurements of a patient's eye. For example, the described systems and methods improve a user's ability to efficiently and accurately verify whether axial length measurements are determined correctly by an imaging system.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Embodiment 1: An imaging system, comprising: a memory comprising computer-executable instructions; a processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the imaging system to: receive an indication to initiate a first optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning of an eye; initiate, based on the received indication, the first OCT scanning of the eye; generate, based on the first OCT scanning, a first OCT image of the eye; detect, based on the first OCT image, a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of the eye and a fovea in the eye; based on the detecting, cause a first enhanced OCT image to be displayed to a user, the first enhanced OCT image displaying: a first virtual marker segmenting at least a portion of the detected RPE, where the first virtual marker is a curvilinear line, and a second virtual marker, wherein the second virtual marker visually identifies a location of the detected fovea, and wherein the second virtual marker is a radial line through the location of the detected fovea; initiate, in response to the completion of the first OCT scanning, a second OCT scanning of the eye; generate, based on the second OCT scanning, a second OCT image of the eye; detect, based on the second OCT image, the RPE of the eye and the fovea in the eye; display, based on the detecting, on a second enhanced OCT image: a third virtual marker segmenting at least a same portion of the detected RPE as the first virtual marker, and a fourth virtual marker across at least a same portion of the location of the detected fovea as the first virtual marker; and cause the second enhanced OCT image to be displayed to the user.

The imaging system of embodiment 1, wherein the second OCT scanning of the eye is a retinal scanning of the eye and wherein the second OCT image of the eye is a retinal image of the eye.

The imaging system of embodiment 1, wherein the third virtual marker is a curvilinear line and wherein a curvature of the curvilinear line matches a posterior curvature of the eye.

The imaging system of embodiment 1, wherein the first virtual marker and the second virtual marker intersect perpendicularly.

The imaging system of embodiment 1, wherein the second virtual marker is extended through an anterior portion of a retina of the eye on the first enhanced OCT image.

The imaging system of embodiment 1, wherein the first OCT image is an OCT B-scan image and a full biometry of the eye.