Re: MICROMIRRORS CORRECT OPTICAL ERRORS

From: Joe Rongen (joe_at_alpha.to)
Date: 08/02/04 

Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 23:14:04 -0400

"West Coast Engineering" <westcoastengineering@westcoastengineering.com>
wrote in message news:o59rg09fef0fiqs3m2odinka5bn54v9ria@4ax.com...
> "Joe Rongen" <joe@alpha.to> wrote:
>
> >
> >MICROMIRRORS CORRECT OPTICAL ERRORS, July 31
> >Before undergoing laser eye surgery, patients are given a glimpse
> >of their future vision through an array of movable miniature mirrors.
> >The technique originated in astronomy, where secondary mirrors
> >in terres-trial telescopes correct distortions caused by the Earth's
> >atmosphere. Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news603.html
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
> Total BULL***.

Jim, that would be an interesting point but only if you could
justify it at least by a glimpse of a rational argument.

Quoted from the above link:

"... the problem is caused by optical defects in the cornea, lens or
vitreous body of the eye. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute
for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden have developed a
microchip comprising so many tiny mirrors that it perfectly allows
to correct such eye aberrations. "Patients can be given a foretaste
of how their vision will be improved after laser surgery or being fitted
with a new pair of spectacles," says Andreas Gehner of the IPMS.
"A Shack-Hartmann sensor measures the light reflected back by the
retina and calculates all refractive optical errors. The obtained data
are used to drive the mirror chip." Nearly 50,000 square mirrors are
integrated on an area of a thumbnail. Each element measures just 40
micrometers across - roughly half the diameter of a human hair. An
underlying address circuitry allows each mirror to be individually
lowered to the desired level.

The system is currently undergoing tests at the company 20/10
PERFECT VISION in Heidelberg, a partner of the IPMS.
The technique is expected to become commercially available in one
or two years. The high-resolution optical correction system is not
only interesting to opticians. It could also prove useful in microscopy,
helping to compensate for errors when researchers look through
biological cell tissue. Or it could even be used to sharpen laser beams.
Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft"

==================================

The Roman Rule The one who says it cannot be
done should never interrupt the one who is doing it. 

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