New illuminations approaches with single-use micro LEDs endoilluminators for the pars plana vitrectomy

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The illumination of the intraocular space during pars plana vitrectomy always bears the risk of retina damage by irradiation. Conventional illumination systems consist of an external light source and an optical fiber to transfer the visible light (radiation) into the eye. Often xenon arc and halogen lamps are employed for this application with some disadvantageous properties like high phototoxicity and low efficiency. Therefore, we propose to generate the light directly within the eye by inserting a white micro LED with a diameter of 0.6 mm. The LED offers a luminous flux of 0.6 lm of white light with a blue peak @ 450 nm and a yellow peak @ 555 nm. The presented prototypes fit through a standard 23 G trocar and are the first intraocular light sources worldwide. Two different single-use approaches have already been developed: a handguided and a chandelier device. The hand-guided applicator enables a directly navigation and illumination up to a working distance of 6 mm. The chandelier device is much smaller and does not need an active navigation of the light cone. The brightness and homogeneity of the illumination of these LED devices have been successfully tested on porcine eyes. Presented measurements and calculations prove that even for high LED currents and small distances to the retina these intraocular micro LED devices expose the retina to less hazard than conventional illumination sources like fiber based xenon systems. Even under the worst circumstances application durations of 180 hours would be justifiable.