Programmable multispectral illumination system for surgery and visualization of light-sensitive tissues

1. An observation system for viewing light-sensitive tissue, comprising:

an illumination system;

an imaging system arranged to be in an optical path of light from said light-sensitive tissue upon being illuminated by said illumination system, said imaging system comprising an optical detector and a data processing system; and

an image display system in communication with said imaging system to display an image of said portion of said light-sensitive tissue,

wherein said illumination system comprises a light source and a light source controller constructed and arranged to control at least one of a spectral composition and intensity of light that illuminates said light-sensitive tissue,

wherein said imaging system is configured to image at least a portion of said light-sensitive tissue upon being illuminated by said illumination system;

wherein said illumination system is configured to illuminate said light-sensitive tissue with a reduced amount of light within a preselected wavelength range compared to substantially white light illumination,

wherein said light source controller causes said light source to illuminate said light-sensitive tissue with substantially white light for a first period of time and with light that is non-toxic to said light-sensitive tissue for a second period of time thus providing said reduced amount of light within said preselected wavelength range,

wherein said light source controller communicates with said imaging system such that said optical detector acquires imaging data during said first period of time and during said second period of time,

wherein said data processing system uses said imaging data acquired during said first period of time to compensate said imaging data acquired over said second period of time such that said image displayed by said image display system appears more like an uninterrupted white-light-illuminated image, and

wherein said image of said portion of said light-sensitive tissue is a full color image.

2. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes and said light source controller is adapted to turn said light-emitting diodes on and off.

3. An observation system according to claim 2 , wherein said plurality of light-emitting diodes comprises at least one light-emitting diode for emitting light in each of three primary color regions of a spectrum of said substantially white light.

4. An observation system according to claim 2 , wherein said plurality of light-emitting diodes comprises a red, a green, a yellow and a blue LED.

5. An observation system according to claim 2 , wherein said plurality of light-emitting diodes comprises an infrared LED.

6. An observation system according to claim 2 , wherein said imaging system comprises a plurality of optical detection elements, each having a spectral sensitivity that substantially matches a spectral emission of a corresponding one of said plurality of light-emitting diodes.

7. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said light that is non-toxic to said light-sensitive tissue is substantially free of blue and shorter wavelength light.

8. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said light that is non-toxic to said light-sensitive tissue is red or infrared light.

9. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes and said light source controller is adapted to turn said light-emitting diodes on and off to selectively provide said substantially white light and said light that is non-toxic to said light-sensitive tissue.

10. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said data processing system segments at least one of background image portions or images of tools within said image from said light-sensitive tissue.

11. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said data processing system is adapted to apply a color boost model to compensate for said reduced amount of light within said preselected wavelength range.

12. An observation system according to claim 11 , wherein said color boost model includes companding.

13. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said data processor compensates said imaging data acquired over said second period of time by at least one of multiplexed spectrum imaging, color companding, adaptive multispectral imaging or any combination thereof.

14. An observation system according to claim 1 , wherein said image of said portion of said light-sensitive tissue includes color information provided by said substantially white light illumination.

15. A method of displaying an image of light-sensitive tissue, comprising:

illuminating said light-sensitive tissue with multispectral light for a first period of time;

imaging said light-sensitive tissue over said first period of time upon being illuminated with said multispectral light; and

displaying said image of said light-sensitive tissue for a second period of time that is longer than said first period of time,

wherein said second period of time includes a period of time in which said light-sensitive tissue is free of said multispectral illumination, and

wherein said imaging said light-sensitive tissue includes compensating for said period of time in which said light-sensitive tissue is free of said multispectral illumination to approximate an image of said light-sensitive tissue as it would appear had it been under said multispectral illumination for said entire second period of time.