Apparatus and method for determining a position of an eye

1. An apparatus for determining a position of a subject's cornea, comprising:

a first illumination apparatus adapted to provide a first beam of light and a first diffuse portion of light, the first diffuse portion emanating from a point coincident with the first beam; and

a camera,

the first illumination apparatus and the camera being configured and arranged such that the camera forms a first image of a scattering point of the first beam using light scattered from the cornea, and a second image of the first diffuse portion reflected from the cornea.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first illumination apparatus comprises:

a first laser adapted to provide the first beam of light, and

a first aperture disposed in the first beam and adapted to generate the first diffuse portion of light.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a structure to maintain the subject's head in a selected position, the first illumination apparatus being directed to project the first beam and the first diffuse portion toward a position corresponding to the subject's cornea.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the structure to maintain the subject's head comprises a chin rest to position the subject's cornea.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first illumination apparatus comprises a first pinhole configured and arranged to determine a shape of the first beam and to diffract a portion of the light from the first beam to form the first diffuse portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second illumination apparatus adapted to provide a second beam of light and a second diffuse portion of light, the second diffuse portion emanating from a point coincident with the second beam.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second illumination apparatus and the camera are configured and arranged to form a third image of a scattering point of the second beam at the cornea, and to form a fourth image of the second diffuse portion reflected from the cornea.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the camera has an optical axis, and wherein the first and third images are symmetrically disposed about the optical axis, when the cornea is located along an optical axis of the camera.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second and fourth images are symmetrically disposed about the optical axis, when a cornea is located along the optical axis of the camera.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth images are disposed on the midpoints of a rectangle, when a cornea is located along the optical axis of the camera.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth images are disposed on the midpoints of a square, when a cornea is located along the optical axis of the camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth images are disposed on a straight line, when a cornea is located along the optical axis of the camera.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a processor electrically coupled to the camera and programmed to calculate a position of the eye using the image of a scattering point of the first beam at the cornea, and the image of the first diffuse portion reflected from the cornea.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , in a combination with a pachymetric device adapted to acquire a plurality of images of the subject's eye, wherein the apparatus is adapted to provide a position of the eye for each of the plurality of images.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , in a combination with a refractive surgery device adapted to perform a course of treatment, wherein the apparatus is adapted to provide position data of the eye to the surgery device and the refractive surgery device is adapted to modify the course of treatment in response to position data.

16. An apparatus for determining a position of a subject's eye, comprising:

a first illumination apparatus adapted to provide a first beam of light;

a second illumination apparatus adapted to provide a second beam of light;

a first point source illumination apparatus;

a second point source illumination apparatus; and

a camera having an optical axis,

the camera, the first and second illumination apparatus and the first and second point source illumination apparatus being configured and arranged such that, when the eye is located at a given position, (i) light from the first beam and light from the second beam scatter from a cornea of the eye to form first and second images at the camera respectively, the first and second images being disposed about a first point that is a first predetermined distance from a point at the camera corresponding to the apex of the cornea of the eye, and (ii) light from the first point source and light from the second point source reflect from the cornea to form third and fourth images at the camera respectively, the third and fourth images being disposed about a second point that is a second predetermined distance from the point at the camera corresponding to the apex of the cornea of the eye.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first point and the second point are coincident.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein each of the first image, second image, third image and the fourth image are disposed on a corresponding midpoint of a side of square that is centered about a point corresponding to the optical axis of the camera.

19. An apparatus for determining a position of a subject's cornea, comprising:

(A.) a first illumination apparatus comprising

(i.) a first laser adapted to provide a first beam of light, and

(ii.) a first aperture disposed in a path of the first beam and adapted to generate a first diffuse portion emanating from a point coincident with the first beam;

(B.) a second illumination apparatus comprising

(i.) a second laser adapted to provide a second beam of light, and

(ii.) a second aperture disposed in a path of the second beam and adapted to generate a second diffuse portion emanating from a point coincident with the second beam; and

(C.) a camera,

the first laser, the second laser, the first aperture, the second aperture, and the camera being configured and arranged to form at the camera

(i) an image of a scattered portion of the first beam scattered from the cornea,

(ii) an image of the first diffuse portion reflected from the cornea,

(iii) an image of a scattered portion of the second beam scattered from the cornea, and

(iv) an image of the second diffuse portion reflected from the cornea.