GB2473501A

GB2473501A - A slit lamp lens holder and image recorder

Info

Publication number: GB2473501A
Application number: GB0916166A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Agnieszka Janicka-Twardowska
Original assignee: Inst Jaskry Sp Z O O
Current assignee: Inst Jaskry Sp Z O O
Priority date: 2009-09-15
Filing date: 2009-09-15
Publication date: 2011-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 2029-09-15
Also published as: GB0916166D0; GB2473501B

Abstract

A slit lamp accessory comprising a lens holder, characterised by a base 101 with adjustable distancing elements 161, 162 to position the base 101 horizontally with respect to the slit lamp 100, a first support post 111 with a first arm 112 movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base 101 and rotatable around the first support 111, on which a lens holder 117 is mounted, electrically controlled actuators 153, 154 for rotating the lens 110 around axes of symmetry 151, 152, a second support post 121 with a second arm 122 movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base 101 and rotatable around the second support 121, on which an image recorder 127 is mounted, a joystick 131 with switches 133, 134 mounted on a stick 132, a control circuit 141 comprising an actuator controlling module (144, see figure 2) for transmitting to the actuators 153, 154 via first signal line 142 the inclination of the stick, and a recorder controlling module 145 for transmitting to the image recorder 127, via second signal line 143, activation of the switches 133, 134.

Description

A SLIT LAMP ACCESSORY

Description

The present invention relates to a slit lamp accessory.

Eye diagnosis often involves use of slit lamps to examine the front section of the eye. Slit lamps in combination with special lens, such as a Volk lens, allow stereoscopic diagnosis of the fundus, especially examination of retina perimeter, including examination of the rear section of the eye, especially the visual nerve, blood vessels and the eyespot. Slit lamps comprising a laser allow also treatment of the eyeball.

In a traditional examination method involving the Volk lens, the lens is held by the ophthamologist in one hand, at a distance of 0,5 -1 cm from the cornea, and the image is viewed via the eyepiece of the slit lamp. Such solution is tiring for the ophthalmologist, since after a short time of examination the hand holding the lens becomes weary and starts twitching, which significantly disturbs the examination.

A US patent U56095648 describes a device for examination eye fundus, comprising a slit lamp and a lens mounted in a holder, which is attached to the slit lamp. Such solution facilitates the work of an ophthalmologist, but it has to be designed for a specific type of a slit lamp, to which the lens holder may be attached.

A US patent application U5200410100618 describes a device for viewing an eye, which comprises a head rest and a slit lamp, as well as a lens holder attached to the head rest. Such solution also facilitates the work of an ophthalmologist, but is dedicated for a particular head rest, to which the holder may be attached.

The object of the invention is to provide a slit lamp accessory, allowing to examine eye fundus by a lens, preferably a Volk lens, in a convenient and effective manner, and which is also designed to operate with various types of slit lamps.

The object of the invention is a slit lamp accessory comprising a lens holder, wherein the accessory comprises a base with adjustable distancing elements configured to position the base horizontally with respect to the slit lamp, wherein on the base there are mounted a first support with a first arm movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base and rotatable around an axis of the first support, on which a lens holder is mounted, comprising electrically controlled actuators for rotating of the lens around two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry of the lens plane, a second support with a second arm movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base and rotatable around an axis of the second support, on which an image recorder is mounted, a joystick with switches mounted on a stick, a control circuit comprising an actuators controlling module for transmitting to the actuators of the lens holder, via a first signal line, signals defining the inclination of the stick and a recorder controlling module for transmitting to the image recorder, via a second signal line, signals defining activation of the switches.

Preferably, the recorder controlling module is configured to transmit to the image recorder, via the second signal line, a signal activating video recording or a signal activating capture of a single image or a signal activating zoom in / zoom out of the image.

Preferably, on the base a data exchange port is mounted, and the recorder controlling module is configured to transmit a signal defining the image received by the image recorder via the data exchange port.

Preferably, the first stand and/or the second stand are movable with respect to the base along guiding grooves. Preferably, the first stand and/or the second stand comprise rotatable tips allowing rotation of the first arm and/or the second arm, respectively. Preferably, the first stand and/or the second stand comprise grips allowing vertical movement of the first arm and/or the second arm, respectively. Preferably, the first arm and/or the second arm comprise grips allowing horizontal movement of the lens holder and/or the image recorder, respectively.

Preferably, the actuators controlling module is configured to display on a display current angles of rotation of the lens in the holder with respect to the two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry of the plane of the lens.

Preferably, the accessory comprises a data input module, configured to input angles of rotation of the lens in the holder to the actuators controlling module, and the actuators controlling module is configured to adjust the actuators to the input angles.

Preferably, the accessory comprises an electronic cards reader and the data input module is configured to read data from the electronic cards reader.

Preferably, on the base a data exchange port is installed and the data input module is configured to read data from an external device connected to the data exchange port.

The invention is shown by way of an exemplary embodiment on a drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a general configuration of the slit lamp accessory according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows the lens holder in detail; Fig. 3 shows modules of the control circuit; The slit lamp 100 accessory according to the invention, shown in an exemplary embodiment in Fig. 1, comprises a base 101 with adjustable distance elements 161, 162 designed to position the base 101 horizontally with respect to the slit lamp 100. The distance elements 161, 162 allow reconstructing the positioning of the base 101 with respect to the slit lamp 100 after the arrangement is disassembled, for example to be serviced.

One distance element may be a beam 161 for adjusting the distance between the front face of the base 101 of the accessory and the front face of the base of the slit lamp. The second distance element may be a bar 162 for adjusting the distance between the accessory and the line of eye diagnosis. Positions of the beam 161 and the bar 162 may be adjusted by means of wheels 163, 164, respectively.

On the base 101 there is mounted a first stand 111 with a first arm 112 movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base 101 and rotatable around the axis of the first stand 111, on which lens holder 117 is mounted.

Preferably, the holder 117 is configured to hold Volk lens. As shown in details in Fig. 2, the lens holder 117 comprises electrical actuators 153, 154, for example stepping motors, to rotate the lens 110 around two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry 151, 152 of the plane of the lens 110. During examination of the fundus, the first sand ill is positioned such that the lens 110 mounted in the holder 117 is situated between the slit lamp and the eye of the patient under examination.

Moreover, on the base 101 there is mounted a second stand 121 with a second arm 122 movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base and rotatable around the axis of the second stand 121, on which an image recorder 127 is mounted. During the examination, the second stand 121 is positioned such that the image recorder is situated adjacently to the eyepiece of the slit lamp so as to record the image generated by the slit lamp.

The stands 111, 121 and the arms 112, 122 are movable and rotatable with respect to the base, such as to allow use of the accessory with various types of slit lamps having various sizes. The spacing between the first stand 111 and the second stand 121 may be adjusted by moving the sands 11, 121 across one or two guiding grooves 113, 123. In addition, the first stand 111 and/or the second stand 121 may comprise a rotatable tip 115, 125, allowing rotation of, respectively, the first arm 112 and/or the second arm 122 in order to further adjust the spacing between the ends of the arms or to rotate the arm by a large angle, such as to space the device mounted at the end of the arm apart from the optical axis of the slit lamp. Vertical movement of the arms 112, 122 may be facilitated by grips 114, 124 mounted on the stands 111, 112 and allowing to adjust the height of the stands. In turn, horizontal movement of the lens holder 117 and/or the image recorder 127 may be facilitated by grips 116, 126 placed respectively on the first 112 and/or the second 122 arm, allowing extending or shortening of the arms.

On the base 101 there is also mounted a joystick 131 with switches 133, 134 placed on the stick 132. The signals from the joystick are sent to a control circuit 141, which comprises actuators control module 144 for sending to actuators 153, 154 of the lens holder 117, via a first signal line 142, signals defining the inclination of the stick 132, and further comprises a recorder controlling module for sending to the image recorder 127, via a second signal line 143, signals defining activation of switches 133, 134. Therefore, by means of only one joystick, operable by one hand, the examiner may simultaneously control the inclination of the lens and the parameters of the signal recorded by the image recorder.

Therefore, the second hand is free to perform other activities.

The configuration of the control circuit 141 modules 144, 145 and the joystick 131 modules 132, 133, 134 is shown in Fig. 3.

The recorder controlling module 145 may be configured to transmit to the image recorder 127, via the second signal line 143, a signal activating recording of video, as well as signal activating capture of a single image. Activation of individual signals may be invoked by a particular switch 133 of the joystick 131.

In addition, the recorder controlling module 145 may be configured to transmit to the image recorder 127, via the second signal line 143, a signal activating image zoom in I zoom out, invoked by a particular switch 134 of the joystick 131. This allows the examiner to easily zoom a fragment of interest of the image.

Preferably, the module 144 for controlling actuators 153, 154 of the lens holder 117 is designed to show on a display 171 the current angles of rotation of the lens 110 in the holder 117 with respect to the two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry 151, 152 of the plane of the lens 110. The angle of rotation can be calculated on the basis of current angular rotation of actuators 153, 154. Such solution allows recording individual eye examination angle for a given patient, to facilitate further setup of the accessory to examine that patient. Lens rotation data can be recorded manually by the examiner on a patient's examination card or can be recorded automatically on an electronic card inserted to a card reader 146. The display 171 may be a two-element display and show simultaneously both inclination angles or, as shown in Fig. 1, a one-element display, and the inclination angle to be displayed may be changed by a button 173.

Preferably, the accessory may comprise a data input module 172 connected to the actuators controlling module 144, configured to input lens rotation data, and the actuators controlling module 144 may be configured to drive the actuators 153, 154 to adjust position of the lens to a given angle. The data input module 172 may have a form of a keyboard, as shown in Fig. 1, via which the examiner enters angular data read for a given patient during previous examination. The data input module 172 may be also connected with the electronic cards reader 146, allowing automatic entry of data pre-stored on the electronic card.

A data exchange port 128, preferably a USB port, may be installed on the base 101. The recorder controlling module 145 may be configured to transmit a signal defining the image acquired by the image recorder 127 via the data exchange port 128. In such a case, an external monitor or a computer with a monitor, may be connected to the data exchange port 128, such that the examiner may examine the fundus on the display screen, without the need to lean towards the eyepiece of the slit lamp. The image on the screen may be enlarged and the need to lean towards the eyepiece of the slit lamp is eliminated, therefore the examination may be performed in a manner which is easier for the examiner.

In addition, the data input module 172 may be connected to the port 128 and configured to receive data from the external device, such as a memory block or a computer, connected to the port 128.

In addition, to the data exchange port 128 a computer can be connected, comprising software for controlling the control circuit 141, and via the control circuit 141 controlling the actuators 153, 154 of the lens holder 117 and operating parameters of the image recorder 127, such as image sharpness, zoom or parameters of image and photos storage.

The accessory of the invention can be used with various types of slit lamps, as the first and the second arm are independently movable with respect to the base and therefore the positioning of the lens and the image recorder can be adjusted to configuration of a particular slit lamp. By using a second arm with the image recorder, which is applied to the eyepiece of the slit lamp, the accessory increases the functionality of simple slit lamps, which do not comprise image recorders. The image from the recorder can be displayed on a screen connected to the accessory, which eliminates the need to lean towards the eyepiece of the slit lamp, therefore increasing the comfort of the examination for the examiner.

Use of a joystick with switches allows controlling of both the lens and the image recorder using one hand only, therefore the second arm of the examiner is free.

Therefore, the examination can be performed in a convenient and effective manner.

Claims

Claims 1. A slit lamp accessory comprising a lens holder, characterised in that it comprises a base (101) with adjustable distancing elements (161, 162) configured to position the base (101) horizontally with respect to the slit lamp (100), characterised in that on the base there are mounted -a first support (ill) with a first arm (112) movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base (101) and rotatable around an axis of the first support (111), on which a lens holder (117) is mounted, comprising electrically controlled actuators (153, 154) for rotating of the lens (110) around two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry (151, 152) of the lens plane (110), -a second support (121) with a second arm (122) movable vertically and horizontally with respect to the base (101) and rotatable around an axis of the second support (121), on which an image recorder (127) is mounted, -a joystick (131) with switches (133, 134) mounted on a stick (132), -a control circuit (141) comprising an actuators controlling module (144) for transmitting to the actuators (153, 154) of the lens holder (117), via a first signal line (142), signals defining the inclination of the stick (132) and a recorder controlling module (145) for transmitting to the image recorder (127), via a second signal line (143), signals defining activation of the switches (133, 134).
2. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the recorder controlling module (145) is configured to transmit to the image recorder (127), via the second signal line (143), a signal activating video recording.
3. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the recorder controlling module (145) is configured to transmit to the image recorder (127), via the second signal line (143),a signal activating capture of a single image.
4. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the recorder controlling module (145) is configured to transmit to the image recorder (127), via the second signal line (143),a signal activating zoom in / zoom out of the image.
5. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that on the base (101) a data exchange port (128) is mounted, and the recorder controlling module (145) is configured to transmit a signal defining the image received by the image recorder (127) via the data exchange port (128).
6. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the first stand (111) and/or the second stand (121) are movable with respect to the base (101) along guiding grooves (113, 123).
7. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the first stand (111) and/or the second stand (121) comprise rotatable tips (115, 125) allowing rotation of the first arm (112) and/or the second arm (122), respectively.
8. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that the first stand (111) and/or the second stand (121) comprise grips (114, 124) allowing vertical movement of the first arm (112) and/or the second arm (122), respectively.
9. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterised in that the first arm (112) and/or the second arm (122) comprise grips (116, 126) allowing horizontal movement of the lens holder (117) and/or the image recorder (127), respectively.
10. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterised in that the actuators controlling module (144) is configured to display on a display (171) current angles of rotation of the lens (110) in the holder (117) with respect to the two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry (151, 152) of the plane of the lens (110).
11. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a data input module (172), configured to input angles of rotation of the lens (110) in the holder (117) to the actuators controlling module (144), and the actuators controlling module (144) is configured to adjust the actuators (153, 154) to the input angles.
12. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 11, characterised in that it comprises an electronic cards reader (146) and the data input module (172) is configured to read data from the electronic cards reader (146).
13. The slit lamp accessory according to claim 11, characterised in that on the base (101) a data exchange port (128) is installed and the data input module (172) is configured to read data from an external device connected to the data exchange port (128).