Slit lamp with auxiliary lamp producing line of light, aspheric lens holder and inverter

Abstract

An auxiliary lamp for a slit lamp device used in eye examination, to improve digital photography of the eye being examined, includes a casing and a fiber optic bundle terminating in a glued and polished end face, which end face forms a light emitting line. A cylindrical lens is positioned in front of the end face and is adjusted by a finger-operated screw device to be moved toward, and away from, the end face to focus the line of light.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A lamp system to produce a focusable line of light for examination and photography comprising: 
       (a) means to generate light including a housing and a bulb within the housing;  
       (b) a fiber optic cable means to conduct the light from the housing, including a protective sheath and fiber optic strands therein;  
       (c) a lamp casing and means therein to spread and retain the fiber optic strands to form an elongated terminal end face of the strands;  
       (d) an elongated lens; and  
       (e) adjustment means to move the lens toward and away from the strands' terminal end face to focus light therefrom into a line of light.  
     
     
       2. A lamp system as in  claim 1  and a rotatable disk within the housing of (a) to vary the amount of light transmitted from the bulb to the fiber optic cable. 
     
     
       3. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the fiber optic strands comprise at least 1000 glass strands and are randomly arranged within the sheath and terminal end. 
     
     
       4. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the lamp system is for eye examination and the lens is in the range of 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm in height. 
     
     
       5. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the lamp system is for skin examination and the lens is in the range of 5 cm to 20 cm in height. 
     
     
       6. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the lamp system is for dentistry and the lens is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 cm in height. 
     
     
       7. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the lens is a cylindrical lens. 
     
     
       8. A lamp system as in  claim 7  wherein the lens in cross-section is uniformly round. 
     
     
       9. A lamp system as in  claim 1  wherein the means to move the lens includes, mounted on the lamp casing, a knob adapted to be turned by a user's fingers, a rotatable nut turnable by the knob and connected thereto, and a screw-threaded shaft partly within the nut, the shaft being fixed to the lens. 
     
     
       10. A lamp system as in  claim 1  and a double ball-joint connection means to mount the lamp casing on a frame post of a slit lamp device, the connection means including two ball joints for adjustment of the lamp casing relative to the slit lamp device. 
     
     
       11. A lamp system as in  claim 1  and a rotatable disc having a plurality of zones, the disc being positioned between the bulb and the fiber optic cable means to vary the amount of light transmitted thereto, each zone having a set of perforations through the disc, with different zones having differently sized perforations. 
     
     
       12. A lamp for eye examination or surgery comprising: 
       (a) a casing, and within the casing:  
       (b) a randomly oriented collection of optic fiber strands having free ends;  
       (c) means to hold the strands' free ends in an elongated end face;  
       (d) a cylindrical lens to form a line of light; and  
       (e) finger-operable adjustment device to move the lens toward or away from the strands' end face.  
     
     
       13. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the fiber optic strands comprise at least 1000 glass strands or at least 40 plastic fibers and are randomly arranged. 
     
     
       14. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the lamp is for eye examination and the lens is in the range of 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm in height. 
     
     
       15. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the lamp is for skin examination and the lens is in the range of 10 cm to 30 cm in height. 
     
     
       16. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the lamp is for dentistry and the lens is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 cm in height. 
     
     
       17. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the lens in cross-section is uniformly round. 
     
     
       18. A lamp as in  claim 12  wherein the adjustment device includes, mounted on the lamp casing, a knob adapted to be turned by a user's fingers, a rotatable nut turnable by the knob and connected thereto, and a screw-threaded shaft partly within the nut, the shaft being fixed to the lens. 
     
     
       19. A lamp system which provides auxiliary illumination and is adapted to be mounted on a slit lamp device, comprising: 
       (a) a bulb housing and a bulb within the bulb housing;  
       (b) a fiber optic cable including fiber optic strands and a sheath around the strands;  
       (c) a fiber optic connector mounted on the housing which is connected to the fiber optic cable;  
       (d) a lamp casing connected to the fiber optic cable;  
       (e) fiber optic strands within the lamp casing having free ends with the free ends formed into an elongated end face;  
       (f) an elongated cylindrical lens of between 1.5 cm and 2.5 cm in height positioned proximate the fiber optic end face to focus light emerging therefrom into a line of light; and  
       (g) an adjustment device connected to the lens and mounted on the lamp housing to move the lens relative to the fiber optic end face.  
     
     
       20. A lamp system as in  claim 19  and a rotatable disk within the housing (a) to adjust the amount of light passing from the bulb to the fiber optic cable. 
     
     
       21. A lamp system as in  claim 19  wherein the fiber optic strands within the casing comprise at least 1000 glass strands and are randomly arranged. 
     
     
       22. A lamp system as in  claim 19  wherein the lens in cross-section is uniformly round. 
     
     
       23. A lamp system as in  claim 19  wherein the adjustment device to move the lens includes, mounted on the casing, a knob adapted to be turned by a user's fingers, a rotatable nut turnable by the knob and connected thereto, and a screw-threaded shaft partly within the nut, the shaft being fixed to the lens. 
     
     
       24. A lamp system as in  claim 19  and a double ball-joint connection means to mount the lamp casing on the slit lamp device. 
     
     
       25. A lamp system as in  claim 19  wherein the slit lamp device has a movable base on which a microscope is mounted, and the slit lamp device includes an aspheric eye examination lens and mounting means to mount the lens on the movable base so that the lens moves with movement of the microscope. 
     
     
       26. A system as in  claim 24  wherein the mounting means includes a plurality of bearing means to permit rotational movement. 
     
     
       27. A system as in  claim 26  and an image inverter mounted within the microscope. 
     
     
       28. A system as in  claim 26  wherein the microscope is a stereo microscope and an image inverter is mounted within the diagnostic microscope. 
     
     
       29. A slit lamp eye examination system comprising: 
       (a) a slit lamp device including fixed frame posts and a movable base, which base is movable in the X-Y-Z directions under user control;  
       (b) a microscope mounted on the movable base;  
       (c) a lens holder mounted on the movable base and including a plurality of joints;  
       (d) a double convex aspheric lens mounted in the lens holder.  
     
     
       30. A slit lamp system as in  claim 29  wherein the joints are ball joints. 
     
     
       31. A slit lamp system as in  claim 29  and an image inverter within the microscope to reinvert the image from the aspheric lens. 
     
     
       32. A slit lamp system as in  claim 29  and an auxiliary lamp mounted on a frame post and comprising a casing, a fiber optic bundle terminating in an end face within the casing, a cylindrical lens, and an adjustment device mounted on the casing and connected to the cylindrical lens to move the lens toward and away from the end face under user control. 
     
     
       33. A slit lamp system as in  claim 29  wherein the microscope is a stereo microscope and a stereo image inverter is mounted within the microscope. 
     
     
       34. A lamp system to produce a focusable line of light comprising: 
       ( a )  a light source mounted within a housing;    
       ( b )  a fiber optic cable to conduct the light from the housing, wherein the fiber optic cable includes a plurality of fiber optic strands within a protective sheath;    
       ( c )  a lamp casing with ends of the fiber optic strands spread and retained therein to form an elongated terminal end face of the strands;    
       ( d )  an elongated lens; and    
       ( e )  a position adjustment mechanism coupled to the lens to move the lens toward and away from the strands' terminal end face to focus light therefrom into a line of light.    
     
     
       35. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , further comprising a rotatable disk within the housing to vary an amount of light transmitted from the light source to the fiber optic cable.  
     
     
       36. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , wherein the lamp system is for skin diagnosis.  
     
     
       37. A lamp system as in  claim 36 , wherein the lens is in the range of  5  cm to  20  cm in height.  
     
     
       38. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , wherein the lamp system is for eye surgery.  
     
     
       39. A lamp system as in  claim 38 , wherein the lens is in the range of  1 . 5  cm to  2 . 5  cm in height.  
     
     
       40. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , wherein the lamp system is for corneal refractive surgery.  
     
     
       41. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , wherein the lamp system provides a preset focus to view one of a patient's eyelids, cornea, iris and an anterior part of a natural lens.  
     
     
       42. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , wherein the position adjustment mechanism includes a knob mounted on the casing for rotation by an operator's fingers and a rotatable nut coupled to the knob for rotation therewith in conjunction with a screw- threaded shaft partly within the nut, the shaft being coupled to the lens.    
     
     
       43. A lamp system as in  claim 34 , further comprising a rotatable disc having a plurality of zones, the disc being positioned between the light source and the fiber optic cable to vary an amount of light transmitted thereto, each zone of the disc including a corresponding set of perforations extending through.  
     
     
       44. A lamp comprising: 
       ( a )  a casing;    
       ( b )  a plurality of fiber optic strands having free ends forming an elongated end face within the casing;    
       ( c )  a cylindrical lens for forming a line of light; and    
       ( d )  a finger operable adjustment device to move the lens toward and away from the end face.    
     
     
       45. A lamp as in  claim 44 , wherein the adjustment device includes, mounted on the lamp casing, a knob adapted to be turned by a user's fingers, a rotatable nut turnable by the knob and connected thereto and a screw- threaded shaft partly within the nut, the shaft being fixed to the lens.    
     
     
       46. A lamp system as in  claim 44 , wherein the lamp system is for skin diagnosis.  
     
     
       47. A lamp system as in  claim 46 , wherein the lens is in the range of  5  cm to  20  cm in height.  
     
     
       48. A lamp system as in  claim 44 , wherein the lamp system is for eye surgery.  
     
     
       49. A lamp system as in  claim 48 , wherein the lens is in the range of  1 . 5  cm to  2 . 5  cm in height.  
     
     
       50. A lamp system as in  claim 44 , wherein the lamp system is for dentistry.  
     
     
       51. A lamp system as in  claim 50 , wherein the lens is in the range of  0 . 5  cm to  1 . 5  cm in height.  
     
     
       52. A slit lamp comprising: 
       ( a )  a moveable base and a plurality of fixed frame posts, wherein the base is moveable in each of X, Y and Z directions under user control;    
       ( b )  a microscope mounted on the moveable base;    
       ( c )  a lens holder mounted on the movable base and including a plurality of joints; and    
       ( d )  a double convex aspheric lens mounted in the lens holder.    
     
     
       53. A slit lamp system as in  claim 52 , further comprising an image inverter within the microscope to reinvert an image from the aspherical lens.  
     
     
       54. A slit lamp system as in  claim 52 , further comprising an auxiliary lamp mounted on a first one of the frame posts, the auxiliary lamp comprising a casing, a fiber optic bundle terminating in an end face within the casing, a cylindrical lens and an adjustment device to move the cylindrical lens toward and away from the end face under user control.