The Lions Eye Institute of Western Australia, Inc.

Customvis Plc

The Lions Eye Institute Limited

Q-vis Limited

The Lion Eye Institute of Western Australia Incorporated

Lions Eye Institute Perth

Paul Phillip Van Saarloos

Robert Henry Eikelboom

Fred Norbert Reinholz

Kanagasingam Yogesan

David C MacPherson

Philip George Reid

Wayne Sheldon Pelouch

A method of determining and/or tracking the position of an eye, includes utilizing at least two wavelength components of a plural wavelength zone that traverses the limbus of the eye to obtain a profile of whiteness and/or redness across the zone, and identifying from the profile at least one predetermined reference position that indicates the position of the eye. Apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

Limbal-based eye tracking

Apparatus for performing ultraviolet laser ablation of a surface, eg. an eye surface, including a laser delivery system () having a laser source () for generating a laser beam () and optics for applying the laser beam to the surface to be ablated, means (') for providing a compatible liquid () in contact with the surface () to be ablated, in a position whereby said laser beam () is applied to said surface through the liquid, wherein the laser beam is of a wavelength that substantially is not absorbed by the liquid.

Apparatus and procedure for ultraviolet laser ablation

An apparatus and method for producing a high contrast, real time, three dimensional representation of a scanned object with the use of an additional scanning mechanism to gain information about the third dimension. A light beam is reflected along an input path and is modified, split, scanned in a first direction, scanned in a second direction, and directed through a stereo base producer to provide stereoscopic information by impinging the beam onto the surface from two different directions. It is then reflected onto the surface whereby the light traverses an output path identical to the input path towards a splitter. Some of the reflected light is directed towards a photodetector coupled to a signal processor to produce an image for real time viewing.

Stereo scanning laser ophthalmoscope

The present invention provides a method for scanning material with a laser beam including directing a laser beam ( ) through a scanning means, wherein said scanning means includes a first lens ( ) and a second lens ( ) separated by a distance ( ) approximately equal to the focal length of the lenses. The method includes controlling the beam ( ) by moving at least one of the lenses in a plane perpendicular to the beam to scan the material. The invention also provides a scanning apparatus for scanning material with a laser beam including laser means for producing a beam of ultraviolet or infra-red light, scanning means for scanning the laser source in a predetermined pattern onto an area of the material, and controlling means for controlling the scanning means, wherein the scanning means includes two lenses, separated by approximately the focal length of one of the lenses, with at least one of the lenses movable perpendicular to the beam to scan the beam.

Laser scanning apparatus and method

A method and apparatus is provided for generating a laser beam of a wavelength suitable for ablating material. The apparatus includes a source of a laser beam of a wavelength which is not suitable for ablation and a frequency converter which uses harmonic generation to generate a laser beam of a suitable frequency. In preferred arrangements the frequency converter is a non-linear optical material that is maintained at a predetermined elevated temperature. In a preferred arrangement the pulse rate of the laser is selected to maintain the acceptance angle of the harmonic generator within predetermined limits.

Solid state UV laser

The present invention provides an apparatus for producing an image of a surface, including a laser source for producing a beam of light, beam modifying means for modifying the properties of the beam, beam splitting means for splitting the beam, focusing means for focusing the beam, first and second scanning means for scanning the beam in first and second different directions, stereo base producing means for obtaining stereoscopic information concerning the surface by impinging the beam onto the surface from two different positions, and reflecting means, wherein a beam from the laser source may be directing along an input path including being modified with the modifying means and split by the beam splitting means, directed onto the first scanning means to scan the beam in the first direction, directed through the second scanning means to scan the beam in the second direction, directed through the stereo base producing means, and then directed off the reflecting means and onto the surface, whereby reflected light from the surface traverses an output path identical to the input path, towards the beam splitting means, and whereby some of the reflected light is directed towards the photodetecting means coupled to the signal processing means and display means to produce an image for viewing with visualizing means in real time. The present invention also provides a method for scanning a surface with a laser beam to thereby produce an image of the surface, including directing a laser beam along an input path including modifying and then splitting the laser beam, focusing the beam, scanning the beam in a first direction, scanning the beam in a second direction, directing the beam through stereo base producing means to provide stereoscopic information by impinging the beam onto the surface from two different positions, and reflecting the beam onto the surface, whereby reflected light from the surface traverses an output path identical to the input path, splitting the beam and directing a portion of the split beam towards photodetecting means coupled to signal processing means and display means, whereby a resultant image may be viewed with visualizing means in real time.

Method and apparatus are provided for measuring the surface profile of a sample. The method and apparatus provide light from a light source through a beam splitter to form two split beams, direct the split beams onto a sample surface and a reference surface respectively, reflect the split beams back through the beam splitter, and direct the split beams towards an imaging system. A surface profiling apparatus for measuring the surface profile of the sample is also provided. The apparatus includes a light source for generating a source beam, beam splitting means positioned in the path of the source beam for splitting the source beam into split beams, a reference surface, a sample surface allowing the split beams to traverse separate paths and return to the beam splitting means, reference surface positioning means for positioning the reference surface, and viewing means for imaging combined beams. An apparatus for calibrating a laser for the ablation of a material including the surface profiling apparatus is also provided.

Method and apparatus for surface profiling of materials and calibration of ablation lasers

The present invention provides a system for creating and visualising three-dimensional images of an object, including imaging means for obtaining two images of the same object from different angles, digitizing means for digitizing the images, image processing means for color matching and registering the images, controller means for converting the two images into an interlaced image, display means for displaying the registered interlaced image, and visualizing means for visualizing the image in three dimensions. It also provides a method for creating and visualising three-dimensional images of an object including obtaining two images of the same object from different angles, digitizing the images, color matching and registering the images, converting the two images into an interlaced image, displaying the registered interlaced image for visualizing the image in three dimensions, measuring areas of interest, and calculating desired measurements of the object.

Stereo optic disc analyzer

Dual beam laser ablation

An improved photokeratoscopic method and apparatus for measuring corneal curvature and topography. The principal of parallax is used by generating a reference light point outside of the relevant plane of a ring generator, such that the relative apparent position of the reference light point with respect to the projected light rings provides a calibration reference that varies with distance of a cornea from the photokeratoscope. More particularly, the invention determines the coordinates in space and the tangent angle of the reflection point on the corneal surface of the image of the reference light point. This information defines the actual corneal topography at the reflection point, without making assumptions. These coordinates and tangent angle can be used to determine the actual distance d from the photokeratoscope lens to the apex of the cornea. An exact value of d permits better accuracy in calculating the central corneal radius of curvature and corneal topography. The present invention can be used with any known photokeratoscope geometry, including planar, spherical, or conical ring generators. The algorithm for computing d, and for calculating the central corneal radius of curvature and corneal topography, is shown in pseudocode, and may easily be implemented as a computer program.

Photokeratoscope apparatus and method

A method and apparatus for smoothing and homogenising the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the output from an excimer laser for improved application of excimer lasers to optical laser surgery to the cornea. The laser beam is focused by means of a cylindrical lens or mirror and then filtered using a narrow gap spatial filter to smooth the intensity distribution by removing high spatial frequencies. The resulting output beam may be collimated by means of a second cylindrical lens or mirror for application to further optical processes.

Growing community of inventors

Karrinyup, Australia

Paul Phillip Van Saarloos