ES2713272B2 - Eye test bench - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Eye test bench.

Technical sector

The invention is part of the control and improvement of the quality of vision within the field of Optometry and with application, also, in Ophthalmology.

Background of the invention

For the measurement of the structure of the human eye, various optometric devices are used that determine its structure and function. Among these instruments are the simplest such as the retinoscope and the ophthalmoscope. With the retinoscope we can evaluate the ametropia of each eye objectively and thus obtain the compensation in glasses of any person. Many times this measure is the only one that can be done and is used, for that reason, with drugs that paralyze the accommodation. These cases have to do with the patient's poor ability to observe to respond to the optometrist (person who does not defend himself in the language used by the optometrist, very young child and any condition that limits responses consistent with what is requested in the cabinet). With the same retinoscope you can carry out control of the accommodative function to get an idea of the adaptation of the person to their daily activity in near vision. This information allows us to verify the overexertion, but also the opposite, that some patients suffer from too high work with different tasks at an extremely short distance. These situations produce varied uncomfortable symptoms to perform a task properly.

In addition to retinoscopy, another simple measure is direct ophthalmoscopy using the ophthalmoscope. It is a system for the observation of both external and internal structures, using lenses of different powers with the light generated by the instrument itself. It is used to rule out pathologies of the eye.

Other instruments of greater complexity provide us with the measurements of the structure of the human eye. Among them we have the tonometer, which measures intraocular pressure; the surveyor, for measurement of the corneal surface; the retinograph, to obtain fundus images; the computerized campimeter, to measure the visual field, the OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), to check the quality of the retina and a host of equipment that can reach high prices and that can result from the combination of two or more instruments cited here.

All these teams allow to evaluate the eyes in detail, however, for the formation of opticians-optometrists there are simple tools that allow them to study all possible structural problems and their variants to get to see real eyes with all types of pathology or have the capacity to be able to measure them as many times as necessary and check in detail all the elements that help them deduce the correct diagnosis. In addition to the use of good texts with photos and videos where people in training can find all this information, devices that allow real and repetitive analysis of the application of simple techniques as well as more complex techniques, with clinical procedures would be useful usually performed on natural eyes.

Explanation of the invention.

Eye test bench.

The present invention relates to an optometric test bench that allows measuring and analyzing the characteristics of the eyes simulating healthy eyes and eyes with various real pathologies, to learn to detect and analyze problems of optometry and ophthalmology.

For this, one aspect of the present invention refers to a box that includes in its interior an element that simulates an eye fundus or a retina, which can be healthy or can represent various pathologies. The invention includes a series of eye and retinal funds made to collect all types of eye diseases at different stages, so that their observation allows to learn to differentiate the different pathologies.

In addition, inside the box, the space in front of the simulated fundus or retina can be lengthened or shortened by creating an artificial eye to simulate the differences between a healthy and pathological eye, including ametropias, or accommodation changes, which will reproduce functional problems. .

On the other hand, the same box also includes a series of lenses that can be arranged on a disc. These lenses are located in front of the eye bottoms or simulated retinas and can be changed by rotating the disc on its central axis or by moving the disc away from the eye bottoms or simulated retinas. The anterior part of the artificial eye is an opaque wall, opposite the surface where the artificial eye or retinal bottoms are placed, which incorporates a lucarna with the capacity to increase or decrease its diameter depending on the signals emitted by one or several sensors of light and / or movement. Said lucarna is equivalent to a pupil and presents the option of dilating or contracting depending on the sensors, such that, for example, if the light increases, the lucarna contracts. The opaque wall on which the lucana is located and the sensors can move closer and further away from the bottom of the eye or simulated retina to lengthen or shorten the artificial eye, thus reproducing different ametropias.

On the other hand, another transparent and anti-reflective wall can be placed in front of the opaque wall containing the lucarna and the sensors.

The box in which the elements of the invention are arranged preferably includes two different chambers:

- a top chamber that includes:

- one or more simulated eye or retina bottoms,

- an opaque wall containing a lucarna and, at least, a light and / or movement sensor, being able to approach and move away from the simulated fundus or retina, and

- at least one lens, or a disc with lenses,

- a transparent and anti-reflective wall;

- a lower chamber that presents on its outer surface adequate means to attach the test bench to instruments used in optometry and / or ophthalmology, such as: ophthalmoscopes, retinoscopes, auto-refractometers, retinographs, tonometers, surveyors, and a series of connectors such as they can be: electrical connections, batteries, USB inputs, microchips, electrical cables, as well as elements or recording equipment for both image and live video, and for storing an external memory.

On the other hand, all the connectors and the recording elements or equipment, or a part thereof, can be housed in the lower chamber or in a third chamber adjacent to the box that includes the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

In addition to all this, a lid can be placed on the upper chamber that can cover all or part of the upper part of said chamber. Preferably, the lid can be easily removed so as to be able to modify the simulated eye fundus or retina that are located in the artificial eye that is created in the upper chamber of the test bench and, where appropriate, to be able to change the lenses located in front of eye funds or simulated retinas or any other element of the test bench.

The lenses included in the test bench can be used to achieve the simulation of techniques that require it, such as both static and dynamic retinoscopy, with information on both the internal map and the procedure performed autonomously. Preferably, the lenses are mounted on a disc that can rotate and move from front to back.

In a preferred embodiment, the chambers included in the test bench are made of a light and rigid plastic. Eye backgrounds and simulated retinas can be made using 3D printer printing, which can reduce the cost and facilitate similarity with real eye and retinal backgrounds.

The lucarna, which behaves like a pupil, can modify its opening automatically from the data provided by the sensors.

In addition, the box of an eye test bench may include anchoring elements to a second eye test bed to obtain a binocular device.

Using the test bench, you can learn to operate the ophthalmoscope to explore the fundus, the retinoscope, to measure the ametropia or, if it is attached to other more complex instruments (retinographs, surveyors and other measuring instruments) you can learn to perform these techniques without resorting to real eyes until acquiring greater skill.

Brief description of the drawings

The following features of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, by way of illustration and not limitation:

Figure 1. Scheme of the eye test chart according to the example described as a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2. Schematic of a front view of the eye test chart according to the example described as a preferred embodiment of the invention, including the upper chamber (1a), the lower chamber (1b) and the lateral chamber (6).

Figure 3. Side view of the upper chamber (1a) of the box. Cut along the plane coinciding with the axis of longitudinal symmetry of the upper chamber (1a).

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting in scope.

Example 1. Preparation of simulated eye and retina bottoms.

A series of eye backgrounds (5) and simulated retinas were manufactured by generating them using a 3D printer. Elements that simulated the blood vessels, the papilla and the macula were included, as well as different defects associated with eye diseases.

For its manufacture, biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) was used with the colors equivalent to those of a human's retina bottom.

Example 2. Preparation of an eye test bench.

An optometric test bench was manufactured by making a rectangular box, in polyethylene, which included an upper chamber (1a) and a lower chamber (1b). On the opaque wall (17) of the upper chamber (1a), a lucarna (2) was placed, with an opening that can vary between 2 and 5 cm in diameter. To regulate said variation in the opening, a light sensor (3) was also placed. At the bottom of the upper chamber (1 a) a simulated eye fundus (5) was adhered and, between lens (2) and the simulated eye fundus (5) lens disc (8) of lenses (4) of so that the lenses (4) were interposed between the light inlet (2) and the simulated fundus (5).

In front of the opaque wall (17), with respect to the simulated eye fund (5), a fixed, transparent and anti-reflective wall (15), made of transparent polycarbonate, was installed. The depth of this upper chamber (1a), was 5 cm, understanding by depth the distance between the wall in which the simulated eye fund (5) was located and the fixed, transparent and anti-reflective wall (15).

Slots were made on the inside of each of the side walls of the upper chamber (1a), so that the opaque wall (17) could be placed closer or further from the simulated eye fund (5), thus modifying the length of the artificial eye and approaching or moving the lucarna (2) to the bottom of the simulated eye (5). Likewise, in the upper edge of each of the side walls of the upper chamber (1a), a slit (14) was made to allow the movement of a cover (12) on the upper chamber (1a). In addition, to facilitate the sliding of the cover (12), a pivot (13) was adhered on the top. Both the cover (12) and the pivot (13) were made of polyethylene.

The box was made with a height of 10 cm, the upper 3 cm being the height of the upper chamber (1a) and the remaining 7 cm the height of the lower chamber (1b).

In the lower chamber (1b), there were placed on the front face, which is the continuation of the fixed, transparent and anti-reflective wall (15), some frontal gaps (16) that allow to snap pressure instruments such as, by for example, retinoscope, ophthalmoscope, auto refractometer, tonometer, surveyors, etc., by means of hook bars and clamps to secure the eye test bench to the chin rest or other parts that have such instruments incorporated.

On the other hand, in this example, the lens disc (8) (4) occupies a part of the upper chamber (1a) and a part of the lower chamber (1b).

In a third camera, side camera (6), various connectors, microchip (7) and power sources were placed with the possibility of connecting the eye test bench with a multimedia system and a computer with the aim of recording the images received by the optometric measurement instruments to which the optometric test bench can be attached and store these images for later analysis. Specifically, in this example, the side chamber (6) included: a microchip (7) to control the movement of the disc (8) with the lenses (4). In addition, the programming necessary to modify the diameter of the lucarna (2) according to the input sensor (3) of the light intensity and the position of the lenses (4) with respect to the microchip (7) was included at the back of the eye simulated (5), as the position of the opaque wall (17) inside the upper chamber (1a) is modified.

The side chamber (6) also included wiring for the electrical connection with its corresponding plug (9), an optional battery (10), and a USB input (11) for connection to the computer.

Claims (5)

1. Eye test bench that includes a box with two cameras: - an upper chamber (1a) that includes: - one or more simulated eye or retina bottoms (5), - an opaque wall (17) containing a lucarna (2) and at least one light and / or movement sensor (3), being able to approach and move away from the simulated eye or retina fundus (5), - at least one lens (4) located between the simulated eye or retina bottoms (5) and the opaque wall (17) containing the lucarna (2) and the sensor (3), the lens (s) being (4) ) included in a disc (8) of lenses that can rotate and move from front to back; Y - a transparent and anti-reflective wall (15) located in front of the opaque wall (17), on the opposite side of the simulated eye or retina bottom (5); - a lower chamber (1b) that includes: - on its outer surface, suitable means for attaching the optometric test bench to other instruments used in optometry and / or ophthalmology, and includes connecting elements: electrical connections, batteries, USB inputs, microchips, electronic cables, as well as elements or equipment of Recording of both image and live video, and for storing in memories or external elements. 2. An optometric test bench according to claim 1 wherein the connecting elements as well as the recording elements or equipment are placed in the lower chamber (1b). 3. An optometric test bench according to claim 1 wherein the connecting elements as well as the recording elements or equipment are placed in a side chamber (6). 4. An optometric test bench according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper chamber (1a) also includes a cover (12). 5. An optometric test bench according to any one of the preceding claims which includes elements for joining another optometric test bench to form a binocular device.