Compact system for measuring eye refraction

摘要

Apparatus for determining refractive aberrations of the eye of a patient includes an instrument housing (40) having a light source (50) for projecting a substantially focused beam of light at the back of the eye of a patient, the substantially focused beam acting as a secondary source for a return light path (70) of a formed outgoing wavefront exiting said eye. An electronic sensor (74) disposed along the return light path, includes a light detecting surface (24) disposed perpendicular to the return light path, and at least one microoptics array (20) disposed between the electronic sensor and the eye along the return light path. The microoptics array includes a plurality of lenslets (22) disposed in a plane perpendicular to the light return path and positioned relative to the electronic sensor so as to substantially focus incremental portions of the outgoing wavefront onto the light detecting surface such that the deviations in the positions of the substantially focused portions impinging on the light detecting surface can be measured so as to determine aberrations of the wavefront. Preferably, at least one pair of conjugate lenses (36, 38) is disposed along the return light path and positioned between the eye and the microoptics array, the lenses of the conjugate pair having unequal focal lengths to allow the device to be used at an effective working distance from a patient.