3-D corneal modeling system

An instrument that provides a detailed topographical model of the individual's cornea is presented. The method uses a novel structured light source. The cornea is modeled as a convex mirror that forms a virtual image of the structured light source. A single image is recorded from the patient's cornea. The depth is obtained from triangulation between the acquired image and a reference image of a sphere. The reconstruction of a depth map is complicated by the fact that the magnification used in recording the image varies with the radius of curvature of the cornea. An iterative method that solves for the radius curvature despite the variation in magnification is presented. The virtual image is digitized, and the instantaneous curvature of the cornea is obtained and displayed in units of optical power (diopters). The display provides the ophthalmologist or optometrist with the essential optical properties of the cornea.<
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