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EP-4734818-A1 - OPTICAL ATTACHMENTS AND METHODS FOR EMITTING LIGHT

EP4734818A1EP 4734818 A1EP4734818 A1EP 4734818A1EP-4734818-A1

Abstract

Disclosed is an optical attachment (100, 200) for emitting light (116A, 116B) towards a target (106), the optical attachment comprising a hollow body (108, 202) of light guiding material, the hollow body comprising a through opening (110, 204), an outer surface (112A, 206A), an inner surface (112B, 206B) opposite to the outer surface, a first output facet, and a posterior facet (114B, 208B) opposite to the first output facet; and the posterior facet arranged to receive light from one or more light sources (118A, 118B) and to guide the received light via the hollow body towards the first output facet; and wherein the first output facet when in use is configured to emit light towards the target forming a first illuminated image (102, 302) of the first output facet on the target.

Inventors

  • HERRANEN, Teemu

Assignees

  • Icare Finland Oy

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240417

Claims (17)

  1. 1. An optical attachment (100, 200) for emitting light (116A, 116B) towards a target (106), the optical attachment comprising: a hollow body (108, 202) of light guiding material, the hollow body comprising a through opening (110, 204), an outer surface (112A, 206A), an inner surface (112B, 206B) opposite to the outer surface, a first output facet (114A, 208A), and a posterior facet (114B, 208B) opposite to the first output facet; and the posterior facet arranged to receive light from one or more light sources (118A, 118B) and to guide the received light via the hollow body towards the first output facet; and wherein the first output facet when in use is configured to emit the light towards the target forming a first illuminated image (102, 302) of the first output facet on the target.
  2. 2. An optical attachment according to claim 1, wherein the hollow body is shaped as a conical frustum of a cylinder, wherein the first output facet forms a first base of the conical frustum, the posterior facet forms a second base the conical frustum and the first base of the conical frustum has a first radius.
  3. 3. An optical attachment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner surface includes a stepped configuration defining a first portion (122A), a second portion (122B), and a second output facet (114C) between the first portion and the second portion, the second output facet being parallel to the first output facet, and wherein the posterior facet is further arranged to guide the received light via the hollow body towards the second output facet, and wherein the second output facet when in use is configured to emit the light towards the target forming a second illuminated image (104,
  4. 4. An optical attachment according to any of preceding claims, wherein when the target is a surface of an eye (306) and when the target is at a predefined distance (D) from the he first output facet, the first illuminated image, having a second radius, is formed at the surface of the eye radius, wherein the second radius is 1.0 times up to 1.2 times radius of a pupil of the eye.
  5. 5. An optical attachment according any of claims 3 or 4, wherein when the target is at the predefined distance (D) from the first output facet, the second illuminated image, having a third radius, is formed at the eye, wherein the third radius is 0.5 up to 1.0 times radius of the pupil of the eye.
  6. 6. An optical attachment according to claims 4 or 5 wherein the predetermined distance (D) is an operating range of a tonometer from the first output facet to the surface of the eye.
  7. 7. An optical attachment according to any of the claims 2-6, wherein the first radius (rl) is: rl = -r2 x (D-f)/f, wherein r2 the second radius, D is the predetermined distance and f is half of curvature of the eye surface.
  8. 8. An optical attachment according to any of the claims 3-6, wherein the predefined distance (D) lies in a range of 4 millimetres to 8 millimetres.
  9. 9. An optical attachment according to any of the claims 3-8, wherein the first radius is between 3 millimetres to 10 millimetres.
  10. 10. An optical attachment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow body is configured to surround an eye probe comprised in the tonometer.
  11. 11. An optical attachment according to claim 10, further comprising a detachable tube configured to be accommodated inside the through opening, wherein the detachable tube is configured to accommodate the eye probe for attaching or detaching the eye probe to the tonometer.
  12. 12. An optical attachment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more light sources are operable to generate stray light that obscures visibility of the eye probe during measurement of at least one property of the eye.
  13. 13. An optical attachment according to any of the preceding claims where in illumination power of the one or more light sources is controlled to control size of pupil of an eye of user.
  14. 14. A method of determining a distance between a surface of the eye and a tonometer, the method comprising using an optical attachment according to any of claim 1-13 to provide a first illuminated image of a first output facet of the optical attachment on the surface of the eye.
  15. 15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprising moving the tonometer towards the surface of the eye and observing a first radius of the first illuminated image in respect to a radius pupil of the eye.
  16. 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the tonometer is at right distance when the first radius is 1.0 up to 1.2 times larger in than the radius of the pupil of the eye.
  17. 17. A method according to claim 16, wherein when the tonometer is at the right distance, performing a measurement of an property of the eye with the tonometer.

Description

OPTICAL ATTACHMENTS AND METHODS FOR. EMITTING LIGHT TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to optical attachments for emitting light towards a target. The present disclosure also relates to methods of emitting light towards a target. BACKGROUND Commonly, living beings (such as, for example, human beings) suffer from eye ailments, such as, but not limited to, glaucoma, ocular hypertension, retinal detachment. Such eye ailments can be determined by determining at least one physiological property of the eye using tonometry methods. The tonometry methods are implemented using specialized equipment such as, for example, a tonometer, to measure at least one physiological property of the eye. An example of the at least one physiological property may be a pressure within the eye, wherein when the pressure exceeds a predefined range of pressure, an optic nerve of the eye may get damaged. This causes vision loss of the eye. Existing measurement techniques to measure the physiological properties of the eye suffer from certain limitations. Conventional tonometry method implements a tonometer to measure the at least one physiological property of the eye of a patient, wherein the tonometer comprises a magnetic probe for measuring the at least one physiological property. Additionally, the magnetic probe has a round tip, which when detachably attaching from/to the tonometer, can be accidentally touched by an operator of the tonometer, thereby increasing the risk of infection. The magnetic eye probe also needs to be aligned at a predefined distance from the eye in order to hit a particular area of a surface of the eye multiple times for accurate and precise measurements. However, due to any accidental change in position of the patient or of the tonometer during the measurement of the at least one physiological parameter, the magnetic probe may hit another area of the surface of the eye, thereby providing inaccurate measurements. Further more it is important to perform measurements at a correct distance from a surface of the eye (not too close nor too far away). Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussions, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with conventional tonometer methods for measuring the at least one physiological parameter of the eye. SUMMARY The present disclosure seeks to provide an optical attachment for emitting light towards a target. The present disclosure also seeks to provide a method for emitting light towards a target. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide a solution that overcomes at least partially the problems encountered in prior art. In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an optical attachment for emitting light towards a target, the optical attachment comprising: a hollow body of light guiding material, the hollow body comprising a through opening, an outer surface, an inner surface opposite to the outer surface, a first output facet, and a posterior facet opposite to the first output facet; and the posterior facet arranged to receive light from one or more light sources and to guide the received light via the hollow body towards the first output facet; and wherein the first output facet when in use is configured to emit light towards the target forming a first illuminated image of the first output facet on the target. In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of determining a distance between an surface of the eye and a tonometer, the method comprising using an optical attachment according to provide a first illuminated image of a first output facet of the optical attachment on the surface of the eye. Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or at least partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and enable an efficient and specialised equipment for emitting light towards the target, to properly align the optical attachment with respect to the target. Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow. It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like e