Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Eye examining or testing instrument – Objective type
Patent
1990-02-14
1993-03-23
Bovernick, Rodney B.
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Eye examining or testing instrument
Objective type
351214, 128359, A61B 302
Patent
active
051968746
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a slit lamp apparatus comprising a stereomicroscope, a slit illuminating about a vertical axis, a peripheral illuminating device and an apparatus mechanism coupling the stereomicroscope and the illuminating devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Slit lamp apparatus which have a peripheral illuminating device in addition to the slit illuminating device are known as so-called photo-slit lamps and are described in the paper "Augenuntersuchung mit der Spaltlampe" published by Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen. With these known photo-slit lamps, it is disadvantageous that the incidence angle of the peripheral illuminating device can only be changed when this illuminating device is pivoted together with the stereomicroscope about the rotational axis of the apparatus mechanism about which the slit illuminating device is also pivotable.
The plane of the slit image and the microscope focal plane contain the virtual extension line of this rotational axis. By means of an instrument base, this plane can be displaced in X, Y, Z direction at the location of the examination in the eye. The mechanical support of this common rotational axis for the slit illuminating device and for the stereomicroscope can be arranged above or below the head of the patient in accordance with the configuration of the slit lamp device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has as an object to equip known slit lamp devices with an additional illuminating device having a direction of incoming radiation which is independent of other apparatus parts and which can be changed independently of the slit illuminating device.
The split lamp apparatus of the invention includes a stereomicroscope, a slit lamp device rotatable about a vertical axis, a peripheral illuminating device and an apparatus mechanism. The apparatus mechanism couples the stereomicroscope and the slit lamp device and a peripheral illuminating device which is also part of the slit lamp apparatus. According to a feature of the invention, the peripheral illuminating device is rotatable about a vertical axis independently of other parts of the slit lamp apparatus.
The advantages achieved with the invention are that the axes of the slit illuminating device and of the peripheral illuminating device can be arranged isocentrically to each other whereby it is assured that the illuminating spot of the additional illumination is always located in the focal plane of the slit illuminating device and of the stereomicroscope. A further advantage of the invention is that in lieu of the peripheral illumination, a laser light source can be arranged. With a laser slit lamp of this kind, it is possible to select the direction of incoming radiation of the laser independently of the viewing direction of the microscope and of the direction of incoming radiation of the slit illumination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and are more carefully described in the following The drawing shows:
FIG. 1 a perspective illustration of a slit lamp apparatus having an additional peripheral illumination rotatable about a vertical axis;
FIG. 2 a section view of the slit lamp device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 a section view of a laser slit lamp;
FIG. 4 a section view of a slit lamp apparatus wherein the peripheral illumination is arranged above the eye of the patient.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
In the illustration of FIG. 1, a stereomicroscope is identified with reference numeral 1, a slit illuminating device with 2, a peripheral illuminating device with 3 and the apparatus mechanism with 4. The chin support is identified with 4a, the device 4b for holding the head support 4c for the patient. The illuminating device 3 is rotatable about the axis 6 which extends isocentrically to the rotational axis 5. The illuminating device 3 is closed by a window 7 for passing the illuminating radiation.
As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 4 includes a frame 24 having a first leg 26, a second le
REFERENCES:
patent: 4102565 (1978-07-01), Takizawa et al.
patent: 4883351 (1989-11-01), Weiss
patent: 4991954 (1991-02-01), Akiyama
International patent application WO 85/00966 Mar. 1985.
International patent application WO 84/01110 Mar. 1984.
Geiss Gunter
Muller Ortwin
Stopar Victor
Bovernick Rodney B.
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
Dang Hung Xuan
Ottesen Walter
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