Patent ID: 7708409

Claim:
An ophthalmic illumination system comprising: an optical fiber having an entrance onto which a light beam may be focused for transmission to an ophthalmic light probe; a plurality of substantially planar shapes positioned in a path for the collimated beam, the shapes configured serially along an optical axis of the system and rotationally symmetric with one another relative to the optical axis, each shape having a central rotational axis that intersects the optical axis; each shape having a plurality of generally wedge-shaped segments spaced apart around and converging at the optical axis and configured to provide generally wedge-shaped apertures to the beam between the segments; and the shapes rotatable on the rotational axes along the optical axis to assume a plurality of configurations including an open configuration in which faces of the shapes are parallel to the optical axis and a closed configuration in which faces of the shapes are normal to the optical axis.