Abstract
Adequate magnification and proper illumination are crucial for success in microsurgical
interventions. Thus, surgical microscopes have long been an integral part of modern
eye surgery and are at the heart of modern operating theatres. This paper first briefly
reviews the history microscopes in ophthalmic surgery – from the initial developments
in the mid 19th century to the current state of the art systems with powerful coaxial
illumination and fibre-guided xenon or LED light sources. The discussion then turns
to current developments, particularly in the area of workflow support and integration
of complementary technologies such as intraoperative OCT, “augmented reality”, and
visual data feeds useful to the surgeon. The last part presents an outlook on future
developments, with a particular focus on the digital image chain and intelligent automated
assistance.
Key words
optical technology - surgical microscope - ophthalmology
