Digital eye examination method for remote evaluation by physicians

Abstract

To provide a method for evaluating an individual's visual acuity using a computerized device.SOLUTION: Provided is a method for conducting a visual acuity test on a user, the method including: displaying information to a user using a computerized device; initiating a visual acuity test including a graphical interface into which the user provides input via a touch-sensitive field; determining distance information relating to a measured distance between the device and the user from an image of the user captured by a camera of the device; displaying a predetermined visual target for the user to view; displaying the visual acuity test without a refractive lens assembly; presenting spoken indications relating to the visual acuity test via a speaker; recording an identification content spoken by the user upon viewing the predetermined visual target via a microphone; performing voice recognition for the identification content spoken by the user to generate a converted string corresponding to the spoken identification content; and determining a score for the visual acuity test performed by the user on the basis of the converted string.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims the priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 838,029, filed on December 11, 2017, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Field of Disclosure] This disclosure relates to a method of eye examination, and more particularly, to a method of eye examination using a computer without using an optical refraction lens assembly.

Background Art

[0003] [Background Art Information] Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism are common refractive eye disorders that afflict many people. Myopia, commonly also referred to as nearsightedness, is a refractive defect of the eye where the image focuses in front of the retina's imaging plane. Hyperopia, commonly also expressed as "farsighted eyes," is a refractive defect of the eye where the image focuses behind the retina's imaging plane. Astigmatism is a refractive defect of the eye caused by an incomplete spherical curvature of the eye's optical system, where parallel light rays focus at two different points instead of a common point on the retina's imaging plane.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, people have received medical treatment from an ophthalmologist at an ophthalmology clinic to diagnose such eye conditions and obtain prescriptions for corrective lenses such as contact lenses and glasses. To receive such in - person medical treatment from an ophthalmologist, for example, an individual has to quickly finish work or other errands and travel to a location where the ophthalmology clinic is located to undergo an eye examination, which can be costly and time - consuming.

[0005] Traditional in-person eye examinations by ophthalmologists are time-consuming and costly, leading to the emergence of computerized eye examinations that do not require a face-to-face visit. However, the inventors have found that existing computerized eye examinations are inherently complex and time-consuming, and that technical shortcomings in conventional computerized eye examinations can prevent them from providing an optimal customer experience. This disclosure provides a technical solution to these technical challenges in computerized eye examinations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The inventors have found that existing computerized eye examinations, while allowing for examination on a personal computing device without the need for an in-person consultation with an ophthalmologist, are extremely complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, they have discovered that technical deficiencies, such as insufficient or ambiguous test results, lack of verification of whether the conditions are suitable for unassisted computerized eye examinations, and lack of technical feedback to the user during the examination, can sometimes prevent them from providing a satisfactory customer experience when a computerized eye examination needs to be repeated. These issues arise from the technical background of computerized eye examinations and do not occur in traditional in-person eye examinations performed by ophthalmologists using conventional refractive lens assemblies of the type commonly found in ophthalmology clinics.

[0007] This disclosure provides a computerized eye examination to offer technical solutions to these technical challenges, for example, a visual acuity test performed by a user wearing existing prescription corrective lenses using a personal consumer computing device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone, without the need for an in-person examination by an eye specialist, and characterized by enhancing the reliability of the obtained eye examination data by providing real-time feedback to the user during the eye examination, and by performing advanced processing on the eye examination data obtained by the personal computing device during or immediately after the eye examination to enhance the reliability of the processed eye examination data. In the exemplary method described herein, a human technician may screen the eye examination data obtained by a remote computer system, and then a physician may further review the (screened) eye examination data, thereby enabling the physician to reissue a prescription so that the user can purchase corrective lenses such as contact lenses or glasses online, evaluate the eye examination data for concerns, and, if necessary, recommend an in-person eye examination by a physician for further evaluation.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, a method for performing a user's visual acuity test using a computerized consumer device is described. The computerized consumer device comprises a display screen, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a computer processor, and memory, and may be, for example, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a personal computer such as a desktop, laptop, or notebook computer. The user is a human subject. The method involves using the computerized consumer device to initiate a visual acuity test to evaluate the visual acuity of the user, a human subject; using an image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized consumer device, the computerized device determines the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device based on the image size of the person's physical features; the computerized consumer device instructs the user to adjust the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device; instructs the user when a predetermined distance range has been reached; presents the user with a visual acuity test without a refractive lens assembly using the computerized consumer device; and the presentation of the visual acuity test is computer-controlled so that the user can view it. This includes displaying a predetermined target on the display screen of a computerized consumer device, recording the identified content spoken by the user while viewing the predetermined target via the microphone of the computerized consumer device, providing real-time feedback to the user that the computerized consumer device has detected the identified content spoken, performing speech recognition on the identified content spoken by the user to generate a converted string corresponding to the identified content spoken, using a lookup table to compare the words found in the converted string with words that are acceptable as corresponding to the predetermined target, determining the score of the visual acuity test performed by the user based on such comparison, and determining whether the user passed the visual acuity test based on the score.

[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, a consumer-based system for performing a user's vision test is described. The system comprises a computerized consumer device which may be, for example, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a personal computer such as a desktop, laptop, or notebook computer, and which comprises a display screen, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a computer processor, and memory. The user is a human subject. The system may also include one or more server computers which can access one or more databases which store the results of vision tests performed by multiple users, and a remote computer system which is used to review and evaluate vision test data and results, for example, for medical professionals such as screening technicians or doctors to approve vision test results for the purpose of updating a user's eye prescription, for example, so that the user can purchase corrective lenses such as contact lenses or glasses online.The computer processor includes initiating a visual acuity test using a computerized consumer device to evaluate the visual acuity of a human subject, the user; determining the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device based on the image size of the physical features of the person, using an image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized consumer device; instructing the user to adjust the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device and informing the user when a predetermined distance range has been reached; and displaying a predetermined target on the display screen of the computerized consumer device for the user to see. The system is configured to perform a vision test that does not use a refractive lens assembly, present the user with a vision test, record the identified content spoken by the user while looking at a predetermined target via the microphone of a computerized consumer device, provide real-time feedback to the user that the computerized consumer device has detected the spoken content, perform speech recognition on the identified content spoken by the user to generate a converted string corresponding to the identified content, use a lookup table to compare the words found in the converted string with words that are acceptable as corresponding to the predetermined target, determine the score of the vision test performed by the user based on this comparison, and determine whether the user passed the vision test based on the score.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium is described that includes program instructions for enabling a computerized consumer device to perform a vision test on a user. The computerized consumer device comprises a display screen, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a computer processor, and memory, and may be, for example, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a personal computer such as a desktop, laptop, or notebook computer. The user is a human subject. When executed, the program instructions cause the computer processor of the computerized consumer device to start a vision test to evaluate the vision of a human subject, the user, using the computerized consumer device comprising the display screen, camera, microphone, speaker, computer processor, and memory; to determine the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device based on the image size of the physical features of the person, using an image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized consumer device; to instruct the user to adjust the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device and to instruct the user when a predetermined distance range has been reached; and to enable the computerized consumer device to be viewed by the user. A visual acuity test comprising displaying a predetermined target on the display screen of a device, wherein the user is presented with a visual acuity test that does not use a refractive lens assembly, the computerized consumer device records the identified content spoken by the user while looking at the predetermined target via its microphone, the computerized consumer device provides real-time feedback to the user that it has detected the spoken content, speech recognition is performed on the identified content spoken by the user to generate a converted string corresponding to the identified content spoken, a lookup table is used to compare the words found in the converted string with words that are acceptable as corresponding to the predetermined target, the score of the visual acuity test performed by the user is determined based on this comparison, and the system is configured to determine whether the user has passed the visual acuity test based on the score.

[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, a method for performing a user's vision test using a graphical interface and an audio interface on a computerized consumer device is described. The method is a vision test for evaluating the vision of a human subject, a user, using a computerized consumer device comprising a display screen, a camera, an audio interface including a microphone and a speaker, a computer processor, and memory, and includes starting a vision test that includes a graphical interface for displaying information to the user and for which the user makes input via a touch-sensitive field, and providing guidance to the user to move to a desired predetermined distance range by displaying distance information regarding the measured distance between the computerized consumer device and the user, measured from an image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized consumer device, via a graphical interface configured to dynamically display distance information in real time as the measured distance changes, and the graphical interface The system includes displaying a predetermined target for the user to view via a speaker, displaying a visual acuity test without the use of a refractive lens assembly, providing voice instructions regarding the visual acuity test via the speaker of the voice interface, recording the user's spoken content while viewing the predetermined target via the microphone of the voice interface, providing the user with real-time visual feedback via a graphical interface indicating that the computerized consumer device has detected the spoken content, performing speech recognition on the user's spoken content to generate a converted string corresponding to the spoken content, comparing the words found in the converted string with acceptable words corresponding to the predetermined target using a lookup table, determining the user's score on the visual acuity test based on such comparison, and determining whether the user has passed the visual acuity test based on the score.

[0012] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of this disclosure will be better understood by considering the following description, the attached claims, and the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an exemplary configuration for performing computerized ophthalmology using a computerized consumer device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for performing computerized ophthalmology, including visual acuity testing, using a computerized consumer device according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for imaging the ocular surface using a personal computing device according to one exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an exemplary initial screen (sometimes referred to as a page) of a graphical interface (also called a graphical user interface or GUI) for a vision test presented on the display screen of a computerized consumer device such as a tablet or smartphone via an application (or app) according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an exemplary initial screen (sometimes referred to as a page) of a graphical interface (also called a graphical user interface or GUI) for a vision test presented on the display screen of a computerized consumer device such as a tablet or smartphone via an application (or app) according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an exemplary initial screen (sometimes referred to as a page) of a graphical interface (also called a graphical user interface or GUI) for a vision test presented on the display screen of a computerized consumer device such as a tablet or smartphone via an application (or app) according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application used to input patient information according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when inputting patient information according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when inputting patient information according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when inputting patient information according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when imaging the ocular surface according to an embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an application when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 22]FIG. 22 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an app when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an app when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an app when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an app when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 shows an exemplary GUI screen of an app when performing a vision test according to an embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 shows an exemplary GUI end screen of an app displayed when a vision test according to an embodiment is completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The inventors have developed methods for conveniently and reliably conducting vision tests (or examinations) using computerized consumer devices (or consumer computing devices) such as tablet computers, smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, and notebook computers. The results of the vision tests may be transmitted to medical professionals such as screening technicians and physicians via a remote computer system for review and evaluation, as illustrated by the examples described herein. Such vision tests, including visual acuity tests and imaging of the ocular surface, can be performed at the user's home or other location without requiring a visit to a hospital for an in-person examination by an ophthalmologist, and offer advantages over conventional computerized vision tests by providing real-time feedback to the user during the test, enhancing the user experience, reducing complexity, and collecting reliable test data, as described herein. Such tests can reduce costs while providing convenience and are particularly desirable for verifying the accuracy of existing (possibly expired) lens prescriptions and enabling easy online purchase of corrective lenses using the latest lens prescriptions.

[0015] Figure 1 shows an exemplary configuration for performing a computerized eye examination using a computerized consumer device according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, a computerized consumer device 102, such as a tablet computer, smartphone, laptop computer, desktop computer, or notebook computer, may present one or more types of visual examinations to a human subject, the user 104. The computerized consumer device 102 may also be, for example, a game console or other multimedia device. The computerized consumer device 102 may include a touch-sensitive display screen (which may also be called a touchscreen display) 114, a speaker 116 for projecting sound, a camera 118 (including a lens, lens cover, image sensor, and camera circuit), and a microphone 120 that enables the collection of sounds made by the user. The visual examination may be presented to the user 104 via the display screen 114 in the form of a series of screens (or pages) of a graphical interface (also called a graphical user interface or GUI) that presents various examination contents and instructions to the user, prompts the user to respond, or instructs the user to take a specific action. Although Figure 1 shows one camera 118, the consumer device 102 may be provided with two or more forward-facing cameras, i.e., cameras positioned on the same side of the display screen 114. For example, they may be spaced apart from each other, for example, at opposing ends of the consumer device 102, so that the user can simultaneously obtain images of the user from two or more different angles or directions. Furthermore, another rear-facing camera may be provided on the side of the consumer device 102 opposite to the display screen 114. For example, both the speaker 116 and the display screen (or touchscreen display) 114 may present instructions to the user 104, and the touchscreen display 114 and microphone 120 may be used to record the user's responses or to input various vision test content or instructions.

[0016] Data collected during a vision test by the computerized consumer device 102 may be processed by the device 102 and further transmitted to remote computer systems 106 and 110 via a network 134 such as the Internet. Any suitable combination of wireless and wired communication, such as Wi-Fi® or Bluetooth®, may be used. The remote computer system 106 may function as a technician screening system operated via a display 114b by a technician 108 capable of screening the vision test data acquired by the computerized consumer device 102. The computerized consumer device 102 and the remote computer systems 106 and 110 may access and transmit data to one or more server computers 130 that have access to one or more databases 132 storing data in any desired format. The remote computer system 110 may function as a physician review computer system operated by a physician 112, who may review via display 114c the visual examination data, including images of the user's eyes acquired by the computerized consumer device 102, and the results of screenings performed by a technician 108, which are stored via the network 134 and accessible from the physician's remote computer system 110. In some embodiments, in addition to, or instead of, the display screens 114b and 114c (each of which may include multiple display screens), the physician 112 and the technician 108 may view images of the user's eyes using display devices such as virtual reality (VR) goggles, head-mounted displays and three-dimensional (3D) vision enhancement devices configured to work in conjunction with displays 114b and 114c, or other displays that enable stereoscopic or multi-view images of the ocular surface with three-dimensional (3D) depth perception of the images (images of the ocular surface are obtained simultaneously from two or more different directions by multiple forward-facing cameras 118 of the consumer device 102).

[0017] The computerized consumer device 102 may include one or more computer processing units (CPUs) and comprises a computer processor 122a that can be configured in any suitable combination of general-purpose and dedicated processors. The consumer device 102 also includes one or more memories 124a which may include RAM, ROM, and any suitable non-volatile memory. The memories 124a may be used to store instructions for running the visual examination application, data entered by the user, visual examination results generated by the visual examination application, and any related metadata. The computerized consumer device 102 may also include one or more interfaces 126a, such as a mobile communication transceiver, a Wi-Fi® transceiver, or a Bluetooth® transceiver, to facilitate communication over a network including the Internet and to facilitate data input / output, and a wired interface for communication and peripheral device connection. It will be understood that the combination of speaker 116 and microphone 120 and associated circuitry may include a voice user interface that enables user 104 to perceive voice data from computerized consumer device 102 and provide voice data to the computerized consumer device. The computerized consumer device 102 also includes a GPS (Mobile Positioning System) receiver for detecting the location of the consumer device 102.

[0018] Similarly, the remote computer system 106 (e.g., a computer used by a technician for screening) comprises a computer processor 122b which may include one or more CPUs, one or more memories 124b which may include RAM, ROM and any suitable non-volatile memory, and one or more interfaces 126b which facilitate communication over a network including the Internet and facilitate data input / output. The remote computer system 106 may also include one or more databases 128b which facilitate the storage of data in a desired format. Similarly, the remote computer system 110 (e.g., a computer used by a physician for examination) comprises a computer processor 122c which may include one or more CPUs, one or more memories 124c which may include RAM, ROM and any suitable non-volatile memory, one or more interfaces 126c which facilitate communication over a network including the Internet and facilitate data input / output, and one or more databases 128c which facilitate the storage of data in a desired format. It is equipped with the following.

[0019] The remote computer systems 106 and 110 may store various data in the memories 124b, 124c and the databases 128b, 128c, 132 to support the management, implementation, processing, and review of the visual examinations described herein. Such data may include, for example, the medical history information of user 104, the results of user 104's visual examinations, processed data generated by remotely analyzing and processing the results of user 104's visual examinations, images of user 104 including video footage and still images acquired during the visual examinations, GPS location data associated with user 104, screening comments and judgments made by the screening technician 108, and physician review comments and judgments made by the physician 112.

[0020] The following describes exemplary methods of visual acuity testing using computerized consumer devices, with reference to Figures 2-3 and further to Figures 4-27. In this example, the GUI screen and voice instructions of the visual acuity testing application are presented via the display screen 114 and speaker 116 of a computerized consumer device 102, such as a tablet or smartphone, and user input 104 is recorded via the touchscreen display 114 and microphone 120 that receives the user's spoken responses. This example describes a case in which an image examination of the ocular surface and a visual acuity test using displayed visual targets (visual characters or symbols used in visual acuity tests) are performed, but additional tests, such as color vision tests, including the Ishihara color vision test known in this field, can also be performed.

[0021] In addition to the steps described below, it may be desirable to take additional steps to improve the user experience. For example, in some embodiments, it may be advantageous to temporarily disable or stop certain functions of the consumer device 102, such as automatic brightness adjustment of the display screen 114 which may result in undesirable screen dimming if not stopped, an automatic screen saver function which may change the screen if not stopped, or automatic pop-up messages which may obscure the GUI screen of the examination, so that such functions do not run during the examination. It will be understood that the GUI screen on the consumer device 102 may be presented to the user 104 so that the user can grant permission to the vision examination application to make these temporary changes.

[0022] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for performing a computerized eye examination, including a visual acuity test, by running a visual acuity test application (app) on a computerized consumer device according to one embodiment. As shown in step 202, the computerized consumer device 102 receives a command to start a visual examination, including a visual acuity test. An exemplary GUI screen when starting such a visual examination using the visual examination app according to this embodiment is shown in Figures 4-5 (and 17). Figure 4 shows an exemplary computerized consumer device 102, which includes a touchscreen display 114, a speaker 116, a camera 118, a microphone 120, and a control field 115, as described above. The display area of ​​the touchscreen display 114 is also indicated by a dotted line as 114a. Figure 4 shows an exemplary first GUI screen of the app presented on the display screen 114. As shown in Figure 4, the screen of this embodiment displays the company name, the application name (e.g., EXPRESS exam), and various introductory information 412 at the top. Furthermore, the GUI screen in Figure 4 includes a consent field section 414 with a checkbox that user 104 checks to acknowledge that the provided visual examination is not a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination. The initial GUI screen in Figure 4 also includes a field 414 that the user touches to continue the examination.

[0023] Touching the "Continue" field 414 displays the GUI screen shown in Figure 5. This GUI screen includes an instruction section 416 that confirms the user is currently wearing corrective lenses, instructs the user to find a quiet, well-lit location with, for example, 10 feet of available space, and informs the user that the examination will require access to the user's current location via GPS. Pressing the "Next" field 418 on the GUI causes the app to then display the GUI screen shown in Figure 6. Figure 6 shows an exemplary GUI screen that displays the map location 420 and prompts the user to press the "Location Confirmation" field 422 to confirm that the location is correct.

[0024] Returning to Figure 2, in step 204, the computerized consumer device 102 may receive input of the user's patient information from the user. Exemplary GUI screens for this step of the vision examination app are shown in Figures 7-10. The GUI screen shown in Figure 7 includes an instruction section 424 that asks for the user's age, when their last comprehensive eye examination was, and their gender (optional). The screen also includes a data input field 426 that responds to the user's touch and, if necessary, allows the user to input data from a pop-up keypad or drop-down menu, for example, date information or gender selection, an example of which is shown in Figure 8. When the user presses the "Next" field 432, the app then displays the GUI screen shown in Figure 9. In the exemplary GUI screen shown in Figure 9, the user 104 can continue to input patient information using checkbox fields 434, such as whether they have had an eye infection, whether they have had eye surgery, or whether they have used prescription eye drops since their last in-person eye examination. Furthermore, user 104 is instructed to indicate in checkbox fields 436 (Figure 9) and 438 (Figure 10) whether user 104 has experienced any of the symptoms listed. Field 438 is the section below field 436 that the user can access by sliding their finger across the touchscreen 114 to scroll through the words. After completing the eye questionnaire shown in Figures 9-10, the user can proceed to the next part of the app by pressing the "Continue" field 440.

[0025] Returning to Figure 2, Method 200 includes, in step 206, imaging of the ocular surface using the camera 118 of a computerized consumer device 102. This imaging of the ocular surface (which may also be referred to as an ocular surface examination or eye irritation test) may be performed either before or after a visual acuity test, and images of the user's ocular surface are captured by video and / or still images, allowing the physician 112 to evaluate any easily observable symptoms of concern, such as excessive redness of the user's eyes. Exemplary GUI screens of a visual examination application for performing this step are shown in Figures 11–16, and an exemplary flowchart illustrating the exemplary steps of the ocular surface examination is shown in Figure 3. Details of the ocular surface examination relating to step 206 will be described later herein with reference to Figures 3 and 11–16.

[0026] In this embodiment, the visual acuity test can be performed either before or after the ocular surface examination, and the visual acuity test can be initiated using, for example, the GUI screen shown in Figure 17. As shown in Figure 17, this GUI screen includes a message informing the user that a visual acuity test is about to be performed. This exemplary GUI screen also includes an information / instruction unit 466 that informs the user that the test will record the user's responses using the microphone 120, and visually instructs the user via the display screen 114 to hold the consumer device 102 upright or to have a friend hold the display 114 facing the user 104. This exemplary GUI screen also instructs the user to move back to a predetermined distance, for example, 10 feet away from the consumer device 102, while facing the screen 114. All of these instructions can also be given audibly via the speaker 116.

[0027] By touching the "Vision Test Start Field 468" when User 104 touches the vision test app, the vision test app can proceed to the actual vision test. Since User 104 may not be able to accurately determine whether they are at the appropriate predetermined distance, the method 200 shown in Figure 2 includes a step 208 in which the computerized consumer device 102 automatically determines the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device 102 in real time based on the image size of the user's physical characteristics based on the image of the user captured by the camera 118.

[0028] More specifically, for example, camera 118 may capture an image of the user in real time, and the computer processor 122a of the computerized consumer device 102 may process the image in real time and then calculate the distance from the consumer device 102 to the user based on the image size of physical features that are known in terms of actual body size or assumed to be known in terms of, for example, mean or median. In the example GUI screenshots shown in Figures 18-19, the consumer device 102 performs face detection processing and image analysis to determine the distance to user 104 by determining the apparent image size of the user's head at the pixels of the image sensor (e.g., height, width and / or area) and the interpupillary distance of the user's eyes at the pixels of the image sensor. Thus, the distance determination may be based on imaging of the physical features of user 104. Since the interpupillary distance and head size are known by their mean or median values, the appropriate pixel distance expected with respect to the interpupillary distance of the imaged user's eyes, or the image size calibration at an appropriate pixel value expected with respect to the user's head (e.g., width, height, and / or area), can be stored in the memory 124a of the consumer device 102. In step 210, the consumer device 102 can instruct the user to adjust the distance between the user and the computerized consumer device 102, and can also instruct the user when a predetermined separation distance range has been reached. The separation distance between user 104 and consumer device 102 does not need to be exactly the desired predetermined value, but may be within an acceptable range such as within 10% of a specific predetermined distance value, within 5% of a specific predetermined distance value, and the percentages may be different, or the deviation from a specific predetermined distance value may be a different threshold.If real-time imaging and analysis of the size of appropriate physical features measured at the pixel level (e.g., interpupillary distance measured at the pixel level, or head size measured at the pixel level) matches the expected appropriate pixel value, the computer processor 122a of the consumer device 102 can cause the consumer device 102 to give voice instructions to the user 104 via the speaker 116, and / or visually indicate via the display screen 114 that the user has reached an appropriate predetermined distance. In this way, for example, the separation distance can be determined simply by processing the image acquired by the camera as described above using a computerized consumer device, without using additional mechanisms other than distance detection sensors or cameras.

[0029] For example, as shown in Figure 12, instructions 472 for adjusting position may be presented to the user 104 both visually on the display screen 114 and audibly via the speaker 116. Alternatively, for example, an image of the detected user may be displayed on the display screen 114 in real time, and an indicator 468 such as a circle with a graphical measurement unit 466 and a distance indicator 470 written in numbers may be displayed on the display screen 114 in real time to provide guidance to the user to face the consumer device 102 at an appropriate distance and direction through real-time feedback, for example, so that the user's face is approximately in the center of the display screen 114. For example, voice instructions such as "move back" or "too far" may be given. As shown in Figure 19, when the distance is appropriate, an indicator 474 such as a circle with a check mark may be displayed on the display screen 114 to indicate that the user has reached the appropriate distance, and / or the user may be given an audible confirmation via the speaker 116. Of course, physical characteristics are not limited to physical features such as the interpupillary distance of the user's eyes or the size of the user's head, but other physical characteristics with known dimensions, such as a credit card or other objects of known size held near the user's face or chest, can also be used in this analysis. In the latter case, the user 104 may be given appropriate instructions to hold a certain general object of known size.

[0030] As shown in Figure 19, once a predetermined distance range is reached, the consumer device 102 can automatically proceed and display a target on the display screen 114 to perform the next part of the visual acuity test. As described in step 212, the consumer device 102 presents the user with a visual acuity test that includes presenting a predetermined target on the display screen 114 of the consumer device 102 for the user to see. The target is presented for the user to see without using a type of refractive lens assembly commonly found in ophthalmology clinics. Examples of GUI screens for the visual acuity test target section are shown in Figures 20-25. As shown in Figure 20, a GUI screen can be displayed on the display screen 114 that presents a graphic 476 instructing the user to cover their right eye, and simultaneously, an audio instruction to the user to cover their right eye may be given via speaker 116. The GUI screen in Figure 20 also displays an audio indicator 478 with a section 480 showing the level of ambient sound detected via microphone 120, which is graphically displayed on the display screen 114. The visual examination application proceeds automatically and displays the GUI screen shown in Figure 21. This screen includes a target unit 482 containing one or more targets for the user 104 to view. The visual examination application then verbally instructs the user 104 to read aloud or identify the characters (or, optionally, other targets) displayed on the screen 114. Thus, for example, the presentation of a predetermined target may be performed solely on the display screen of a computerized consumer device, without the use of an additional screen or other objects near the user to present the predetermined target.

[0031] When user 104 sees the displayed characters (or other visual targets) and reads them aloud, as described in step 214 of Figure 2, the consumer device 102 records the identification content that user 104 saw and spoke aloud regarding the predetermined visual target. The consumer device 102 also provides the user with real-time feedback indicating that the identification content spoken by the user has been detected by the consumer device 102. This feedback can be provided, for example, by graphically displaying on the screen 114 a voice indicator 478 and a portion 480 proportional to the level of the detection sound for the user's spoken identification. In this way, the consumer device 102 provides the user with real-time feedback that the test is proceeding normally, so that the user does not become confused about whether the device 102 has properly captured the user's spoken response to the displayed visual target.

[0032] The vision test application then proceeds automatically and displays a GUI screen, as illustrated in Figure 22. On this screen, a new graphic 484 is displayed on the display screen 114 instructing user 104 to cover their left eye. Audio instructions are also given to user 104 via speaker 116 to cover their left eye, and another audio instruction is given to user 104 to read aloud the visual target shown in portion 486 of the display screen 114 in Figure 23. The consumer device 102 similarly records user 104's responses (step 214) and provides user 104 with real-time sound level feedback via indicators 478 and 480 as described above. The vision test application then proceeds automatically and displays a GUI screen, as illustrated in Figure 24. Here, a new graphic 488 is displayed on the display screen 114 instructing the user not to cover both eyes. Voice instructions are given to the user 104 via speaker 116 to avoid covering both eyes, and another voice instruction is given to the user 104 to read aloud the visual target shown on portion 490 of the display screen 114 in Figure 25. The consumer device 102 similarly records the user 104's responses (step 214) and provides the user 104 with real-time sound level feedback via indicators 478 and 480 as described above.

[0033] In any case, the predetermined target may be displayed on the display screen 114 of the computerized consumer device 102 without changing the size of the predetermined target displayed on the display screen 114 from a first size to a second size, based on the distance between the user 104 and the computerized consumer device 102 as determined by the computerized consumer device 102. This is because, as mentioned above, the distance has already reached a predetermined distance range. The size of the target is configured to match that of an appropriate visual acuity test performed at a specific distance set for the visual acuity test, but it is not necessary to dynamically change the size of the target based on the measured distance between the user 104 and the consumer device 102.

[0034] A variety of visual acuity targets can be used in visual acuity testing, and it will be understood that these include, but are not limited to, Snellen's targets, such as those mentioned above. Any appropriate visual acuity may be used, for example, the Landolt ring target, which consists of a series of rings with gaps in different directions (e.g., up, down, left, right); the "tumbling E-chart" target, which has an "E" shaped symbol with a "finger" pointing in a given direction, for example, left, right, up, or down; geometric symbols (e.g., circles, squares, triangles, stars, rhombuses, etc.); mathematical symbols (e.g., divide, add, multiply, subtract); common objects (e.g., balls, scissors, pencils, etc.); fruits (e.g., apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, etc.); animal shapes; or other appropriate shapes that can function as unique symbols for use as visual acuity targets, or other visual acuity targets currently known or to be developed in this field. Appropriate lookup tables may be created for appropriate visual acuity targets, as shown in the examples below.

[0035] Once the recording of the user's responses to the displayed predetermined visual targets is complete, the vision test app may automatically proceed and display a GUI screen as illustrated in Figure 26. This screen displays a graphic 492 informing the user that the visual acuity test is complete. This illustrative screen asks the user 104 to confirm whether they have maintained a predetermined distance, for example, 10 feet, from the screen 114 of the consumer device 102 and covered their eyes as instructed. This GUI screen also includes a touch field 494 that allows the user 104 to answer negative and repeat the test, and a touch field 496 that allows the user to answer affirmative and continue. The vision test app may then automatically proceed and display a GUI screen as shown in Figure 27. This screen includes a graphic 498 informing the user that the eye test is complete, that the test results have been submitted for review, that the doctor 112 will review the test results, and that the corrective lenses ordered by the user will be shipped once the doctor 112 confirms that the test is passed. It should be noted that an attempt to purchase contact lenses may be made before an eye exam, and that user 104 may proceed to an eye exam only after it has been determined that the user's current prescription has expired. This type of reissuance of corrective lens prescriptions may be used to enable users to purchase contact lenses or eyeglasses online from online eyewear retailers or in person at physical eyewear retailers.

[0036] After the user's spoken response is recorded (step 214), speech recognition can be performed on the spoken identification, as described in step 216, to generate a converted string that corresponds to the spoken identification of the target spoken by user 104. Any suitable language recognition algorithm, including those conventionally known in the art, may be used. This step can be performed on either the consumer device 102 or one or more remote computer systems, such as one or more remote computer systems 106, 110. In step 218 of Figure 2, a lookup table may be used to compare the words found in the converted string with acceptable words that correspond to a given target spoken by user 104. Note that, for example, the lookup table may contain multiple acceptable word entries for at least one of the given targets. In other words, the lookup table may be a many-to-one lookup table, meaning that language recognition may generate several different words that could potentially correspond to a single specific target (character or other graphic). As an example, Table 1 below shows a hypothetical lookup table.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] In this case, it should be understood that a word may include, for example, a single alphabetic character corresponding to a letter target in a Snellen target, but is not limited to words of two or more letters. However, if necessary, the lookup table may be configured to include only words of two or more letters and exclude single, isolated alphabetic characters.

[0039] As shown in Table 1, in language recognition, the language recognition engine for a given character / symbol target may return several possible results. The determination of whether user 104 correctly identified the displayed target can be made by considering these variations. Furthermore, the lookup table can be updated by performing data analysis on multiple vision test results collected from, for example, many users 104. Specifically, for example, the lookup table may be updated and entries adjusted based on the analysis of test results in multiple examples of vision tests performed by multiple users 104. For example, based on the analysis of user data, it may be determined that certain words need to be added to the lookup table and other words need to be removed. It should be understood that both language recognition and comparison of the lookup table can be performed on either the consumer device 102 or a remote computer system such as one or more of the remote computer systems 106, 110.

[0040] Furthermore, it should be understood that the evaluation of whether a user's verbal response is correct, using language recognition and a lookup table as described above, is not limited to the example of a visual acuity test using a Snellen optophone. An exemplary visual acuity test that uses language recognition on a user's verbal response and a lookup table to evaluate the user's response can be performed using any appropriate optophone. For example, as mentioned above, a Landolt ring optophone consisting of a series of rings with gaps in different directions can be used. In this case, for example, the user's verbal response may be to sequentially identify whether the "C" of the same or different sized optophones is "open" or "closed." In this case, an appropriate lookup table can be used to create a list of appropriate responses that represent the correct answers. In this example, user 104 can be prompted to identify whether the gap in the "C" is pointing to "left," "right," "up," or "down," and an appropriate lookup table can be used to create a list of words that represent the correct answers. As another example, in the case of the "Tumbling E-Chart" target, as mentioned earlier, where an "E"-shaped symbol "finger" points in a given direction, for example, left, right, up, or down, the user's spoken response may involve sequentially identifying whether the "E" finger of the same or different sized targets is pointing left, right, up, or down, and this can be improved into an appropriate lookup table to create a list of words representing the correct answers. Other targets can be used similarly, and are not limited to various characteristic shapes such as geometric symbols (e.g., circles, squares, triangles, stars, rhombuses, etc.), mathematical symbols (e.g., divide, add, multiply, subtract), common objects (balls, scissors, pencils, etc.), fruits (e.g., apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, etc.), animal shapes, or other appropriate shapes. Whatever the target, an appropriate lookup table can be prepared to create a list of words that correspond to the correct responses.

[0041] Furthermore, before performing the visual acuity test in the portion where the visual target is displayed on the display 114 and the user's voiced identification is recorded, a sound level test can be performed (before user 104 performs that portion of the test) to determine whether the user's utterances and test conditions are sufficient to enable the visual acuity test, including the portion where the visual target is actually displayed. For example, to analyze the user's voice sample using the microphone 120 of the computerized consumer device 102, the user can be instructed to repeat a phrase uttered by the device 102 while the user and the computerized consumer device 102 are separated by a predetermined distance range. The computer processor 122a can then calculate a sound quality metric based on the audio processing of the voice sample and determine whether the sound quality metric is sufficient to enable the visual acuity test before displaying the predetermined visual target on the display screen of the computerized consumer device 102. For example, the voice measurement criteria may include a test of the intensity level of the user's voice relative to the ambient sound level, or the voice measurement criteria may be more complex, such as involving an analysis of the frequencies attributable to the user's voice relative to the ambient frequencies. Performing such voice quality tests before presenting the visual acuity targets can improve the customer experience by avoiding situations where full test data is collected when the sound conditions are insufficient. If the computer processor 122a determines that the sound conditions are not appropriate, it will instruct the consumer device 102 via speaker 116 to verbally tell the user 104 that the test needs to be interrupted due to insufficient voice recognition, and will also instruct the user 104 to move to a quieter location and / or repeat the test by speaking louder. The reference data that constitutes sufficient voice recognition to proceed to the visual acuity target recognition portion of the vision test can be collected by performing trial-and-error tests at various sound levels and / or frequency levels, ensuring reliable speech recognition.

[0042] Returning to Figure 2, in step 220, the user's vision test score can be determined based on a comparison of the words recognized in the converted string with the words that are acceptable as corresponding to a given visual target. The score can be any appropriate numerical score, such as the accuracy rate, the number of correct answers, or a score level determined based on achieving a specific threshold of correct answers. In step 222, based on the score, a determination can be made as to whether the user has passed the vision test, for example, based on whether a sufficient number of correct answers were achieved. The scoring method and pass / fail determination can be performed automatically by the consumer device 102, automatically by remote computers such as remote computers 106, 110 to which the results are transmitted, and / or by further review by the screening technician 108 and / or the physician 112. In step 224, the results of the vision test can be communicated to the user 104 by any appropriate means, such as the next GUI screen on the consumer device 102 that displays the result (e.g., "Pass"), email, short message, voicemail, or regular mail. A copy of the updated prescription is also sent. When an ocular surface examination is also performed, in practice, it is desirable to report the results of the visual acuity test along with the results of the ocular surface examination. In this case, if the ocular surface examination includes the examination of ocular surface images (recorded video footage and / or recorded still images) by the physician 112, it may be preferable not to report the results of the visual acuity test to the user 104 until the physician 112 has reviewed the ocular surface examination images and made a determination as to whether the ocular examination is overall satisfactory, such as whether the current prescription can be updated or whether the user 104 can proceed with ordering corrective lenses online.

[0043] Furthermore, if there are any ambiguities or defects in the test data obtained from user 104 by consumer device 102 during the vision test, all video and audio recordings of the vision test may be captured by consumer device 102 so that such ambiguities or defects can be resolved by screening technician 108 and / or physician 112. By having medical professionals review and resolve potential defects or ambiguities in this way, it is possible to avoid instructing user 104 to repeat the vision test when it is not actually necessary, thereby improving the customer experience. The test results may be communicated to user 104 after the final review and evaluation by medical professionals.

[0044] Returning to Figure 2, as previously mentioned, step 206, which relates to imaging the ocular surface using the camera 118 of the consumer device 102, will be described in more detail below. Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 for imaging the ocular surface according to step 206 of Figure 2. See also Figures 11-16. As shown in step 302 of Figure 3, the consumer device 102 may receive a user command to initiate imaging of the ocular surface in the consumer device 102 in order to capture an image of the user's ocular surface so that a physician can evaluate easily observable symptoms of concern, such as excessive redness of the user's eye. The exemplary GUI screen in Figure 11 explains that this examination will capture the user's ocular surface using a camera, such as the camera 118 of the computerized consumer device 102, and includes an information unit 422 that instructs the user to position the device 102 about one foot from the user's face and to increase the volume of the consumer device 102 and follow the voice prompt. The consumer device 102 may also present these instructions audibly via the speaker 116. The ocular surface imaging examination is initiated when the user presses the “Start surface examination” field 444, which causes the visual examination app to proceed and display the exemplary GUI screen shown in Figure 12 on the display screen 114.

[0045] As described in step 304 of Figure 3 and shown in Figure 12, the consumer device 102 displays a GUI screen on the display screen 114 that displays a contour graphic 446 of a predetermined size, for example, in the shape of approximately the same as the head, elliptical, or other appropriate contour shape, activates the (forward-facing) camera 118, and begins acquiring and displaying real-time video footage of the user 104, although the image does not necessarily need to be recorded and stored in memory at this stage. As described in step 306, the consumer device acquires a real-time image of the user 104 and displays it on the display screen 114 along with the contour 446, while instructing the user 104 to correctly position the consumer device 102 relative to the user 104, thereby providing the user with real-time visual feedback for properly positioning the computerized consumer device 102. The computer processor 122a performs face detection on the real-time image of the user 104, processes the image of the user 104, and determines when the user's face is correctly positioned relative to the consumer device by aligning with the contour 446. For example, as described in step 308, the computer processor 122a can determine when the separation distance between user 104 and consumer device 102 and / or camera alignment meets the threshold for capturing an image of the eye surface, for example, when it is determined that the separation distance is approximately 12 inches. For example, the computer processor 122a can perform dynamic face detection and compare the size and position of the user 104's head in the image with the size and position of the contour 446 by analyzing the pixel arrangement, for example, those mapped to pixels of the image sensor of camera 118 or those mapped to pixels of the display screen 114. Furthermore, or instead, the computer processor 122 can detect and monitor, for example, the user's interpupillary distance in pixels, until that distance corresponds to the pixel distance that would be expected to be obtained when the distance between consumer device 102 and the user's face is 12 inches, based on, for example, a known mean or median of interpupillary distance in a population of human subjects.In step 310, the consumer device 102 may instruct the user 104, for example, by an audible and / or visual message, that the consumer device 102 is properly positioned relative to the user's face and that imaging of the eye surface should begin.

[0046] As shown in step 312 of Figure 3, the consumer device 102 can instruct the user 104 to direct their gaze to a first predetermined position, for example, by saying, "Look to the left," and can use the forward-facing camera 118 to acquire a first ocular surface image of the user's eye at the first predetermined position (or use two or more forward-facing cameras to simultaneously capture such images from two or more angles or directions relative to the user's eye). These images may include video footage and / or still images. In some examples, by simultaneously capturing images of the eye from two or more angles or directions, it may be possible to obtain a three-dimensional (3D) depth stereoscopic or multi-view image (e.g., video or still image) of the eye (e.g., video or still image) that can later be reviewed by a physician using, for example, appropriate 3D glasses or virtual reality (VR) goggles. As an example of capturing an image according to step 312, Figure 13 illustrates an exemplary GUI screen in which the user's head is approximately aligned with contour 446 (with an approximation within a suitable tolerance as discussed elsewhere in this specification), and in this example, an instruction 452 indicating "Look left." The consumer device 102 may also give an audio instruction "Look left." The consumer device 102 may then capture an image of the ocular surface of the user's eye by either waiting for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, or by detecting that the user's eye is in the correct position using face detection and analysis as described elsewhere in this specification.

[0047] Once an image of the eye surface is captured at the first predetermined location, the consumer device 102 may automatically proceed to the next step, instructing the user 104 to direct their gaze to the second predetermined location and acquire a second image of the eye surface at the second predetermined location (step 314). An example is shown in Figure 14, where the GUI screen includes a real-time image of the contour 446 and the user 104 superimposed thereon, and also includes the instruction unit 454 saying "Look up". The consumer device 102 may also give the voice instruction "Look up". After giving the instruction, the consumer device 102 may acquire an image of the eye surface of the user's eye by waiting for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, etc., or by detecting that the user's eye is in the correct position using face detection and analysis. This image may include video footage and / or still images.

[0048] Once an image of the eye surface is captured at the second predetermined location, the consumer device 102 may automatically proceed to the next step, instructing the user to direct their gaze to the third predetermined location and acquiring a third image of the eye's eye surface at the third predetermined location (step 316). An example is shown in Figure 15, where the GUI screen includes a real-time image of the user 104 superimposed on a contour 446, and also includes the instruction 456 "Look to the right." The consumer device 102 may also give the voice instruction "Look to the right." After giving the instruction, the consumer device 102 may acquire an image of the user's eye surface by waiting for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, or by detecting that the user's eye is in the correct position using face detection and analysis. This image may include video footage and / or still images. Subsequently, images of the eye surface may be sent to remote computer systems 106, 110, for example, along with the results of the visual acuity test obtained from the user (the user's responses), so that medical professionals such as technicians 108 and doctors 112 can access and review them (step 318).

[0049] Once the acquisition of images of the user's eye surface is complete, the visual examination app may display a GUI screen, as illustrated in Figure 16, indicating that the surface examination is complete and prompting the user 104 to confirm that they have followed the examination conditions appropriately. For example, the GUI screen may include an information section 458 containing a completion graphic, such as a circle with a checkmark, accompanied by the words "Surface examination complete" or "Eye stimulation test complete." The GUI screen may also include a question section 460 asking whether the consumer device 102 was at a specified distance from the user's face, for example, about 1 foot, and whether the user 104 followed the instructions. A touch field 462 is also displayed, allowing the user to answer negative to perform the eye surface examination again, and a touch field 464 is displayed, allowing the user to answer affirmative to continue. In this example, continuing may include moving on to another visual examination, such as a visual acuity test, a color vision test, or any other visual examination. Alternatively, if the imaging of the ocular surface is the last in a series of examinations, continuing may include completing the examination session and entering confirmation that the examination is complete in a touch field such as touch field 499 in Figure 27.

[0050] In connection with step 318, medical professionals such as technician 108 and physician 112 may review images of the user's eye surface along with the user's response (results) to the visual acuity test. As previously mentioned, these images may include video footage and / or still images, and such images of the eye may be captured simultaneously from two or more angles or directions by the user. Thus, in some examples, physicians and technicians may review stereoscopic or multi-view images of the eye, including video footage or still images with three-dimensional (3D) depth, using, for example, appropriate 3D glasses or virtual reality (VR) goggles. This allows physician 112 to take into account further overall information about the images of the eye surface when evaluating whether physician 112 should update the prescription for user 104's corrective lenses, whether any potentially concerning symptoms are clearly visible in the images of the eye surface, and / or whether physician 112 should prepare further recommendations to send to user 104 for this reason, such as instructing user 104 to request an in-person eye examination at a hospital.

[0051] As described above, face detection and analysis may be used to detect when the user's eyes are in a suitable position for imaging the eye surface. This is useful when it is desired to capture a still image of the user's eye surface at high resolution, as high-resolution imaging cannot be obtained from video footage that records the eye surface in real time. Face detection image analysis is generally known in this field, and any suitable face detection technology can be used. For example, Apple's "Vision" API framework may be used on iOS® devices, and Google's "Face" API framework may be used on Android® devices to detect the user's face and its features relative to other background images. Alternatively, face detection and analysis algorithms such as OpenCV (an open-source computer vision library) known in this field may be used to detect the user's face and its features relative to other background images. After detecting the user's eyes, image processing is used to detect the whites of the eyes in the left and right halves of the captured eye, and it is determined whether such measurements meet one or more thresholds, thereby determining whether the user's eyes are turned sufficiently to the right or left to acquire an image of the eye surface at these predetermined positions. Alternatively, image processing may be used to detect the position of the user's pupil, determine whether any position of the pupil satisfies a right position threshold or a left position threshold, and determine if the user's eye is turned sufficiently to the right or left to acquire an ocular surface image at those predetermined positions. Similarly, after detecting the user's eye, such an API can be used to detect the proportion of the white of the eye in the lower (or upper) half of the captured user's eye, determine whether that proportion satisfies a threshold, and determine if the user's eye is turned sufficiently upward (or downward) to acquire an ocular surface image at those predetermined positions. Such measurements can be performed on both of the user 104's eyes, but it should be understood that since both eyes are expected to move simultaneously, it will likely be sufficient to perform such measurements on only one or more of the user 104's eyes.Further information regarding applicable known face recognition techniques is disclosed, for example, in Yang et al., “Detecting faces in images: A survey,” IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol.24, No.1, 2002, pp.34-58; Hjelmas et al., “Face detection: A Survey,” Computer Vision and Image Understanding, Vol.83, No.3, 2001, pp.236-274; and U.S. Patents 9,832,452, 9,053,354, 8,811,726, 8,442,327, 8,254,691 and 7,372,981, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] The methods and systems described herein may be implemented using any suitable computer processing system with any suitable combination of hardware, software and / or firmware. As shown in Figure 1, for example, a computerized consumer device 102 that enables a user 104 to perform a visual inspection can communicate with a server computer 130 and remote computer systems 106 and 110 that can access a database 132 via a network 134. The remote computer systems 106 and 110 may also be hosted on one or more server computers 130 via a network such as network 134. Computer processors 122a, 122b, 122c, etc., may execute software operations, program instructions, or routines to perform the calculations and analyses described herein. Such program instructions, stored data, and processed data may be stored in one or more non-temporary computer-readable memories 124a, 124b, 124c using databases 128b, 128c, 132, etc. Communication may be conducted according to a client-server architecture used by a computerized consumer device 102 used by user 104 to access remote computer systems 106, 100 and / or server computer 130 via one or more networks 134.

[0053] The system may include an element manager, a real-time data buffer, a conveyor, a file input processor, a database index, a data buffer, and a data manager for data management and processing. Systems 102, 106, and 110 may also include multiple displays, display interfaces, keyboards, microphones, mice, touchscreens, and other input / output devices to enable users, support personnel, and medical professionals to manage systems 102, 106, and 110.

[0054] While this specification describes exemplary embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments are also within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the system and method may include a network for communicating with one or more data processing devices (e.g., a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, or a combination thereof), a fiber optic medium, a carrier wave, a wireless network, and data signals transmitted over these. The data signals can carry any or all of the data to or from the devices disclosed herein.

[0055] The methods and systems described herein may be implemented in many different types of processing units by program code, which includes program instructions executable in a device processing system. The software program instructions may include source code, object code, machine code, or any other stored data that can be implemented to cause the processing system to perform the methods and operations described herein. Any suitable computer language, such as C, C++, Java, HTML, or XML, and APIs available to developers on a given operating system platform may be used, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Other implementations may include firmware and hardware of a suitable design configured to implement the methods and systems described herein.

[0056] System and method data (e.g., associations, mappings, data inputs, data outputs, intermediate data results, final data results) may be configured to be stored using appropriate data structures, and may be stored and used in data stores implemented on one or more different types of computers, such as different types of storage devices and programming structures (e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, single-layer files, databases, programming data structures, programming variables, IF-THEN (or similar) statement structures). Note that a data structure refers to the format used to organize and store data in a database, program, memory, or other non-temporary computer-readable medium for a computer program.

[0057] The computer components, software modules, functions, data stores, and data structures described herein may be connected face-to-face or indirectly to enable the data flow necessary for their operation. It should also be noted that a module or processor includes, but is not limited to, a unit of code that performs software operation and can be implemented, for example, as a unit of subroutine code, or a unit of software functional code, or as an object (such as in an object-oriented paradigm), or as an applet, or in a computer scripting language, or as another type of computer code. The software components and / or functionalities may be located on a single computer or distributed across multiple computers, depending on the circumstances.

[0058] Please understand that the meanings of “a,” “an,” and “the” as used throughout this specification and the following claims include the plural form unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context. Similarly, the meaning of “in” as used throughout this specification and the following claims includes “in” and “on” unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context. Furthermore, the meanings of “and” and “or” as used throughout this specification and the following claims include both conjunctive and disjunctive meanings, and are interchangeable unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context. The phrase “exclusive or” may also be used to indicate situations where only the disjunctive meaning applies. Additionally, the meaning of “about” and / or “approximately” as used throughout this specification and the following claims means ±10% of the indicated quantity unless otherwise specified.

[0059] While the present invention has been described using exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the claims. U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 838,029, filed December 11, 2017, and U.S. Patent Application No. 29 / 629,114, filed December 11, 2017, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A method for performing a user's vision test, Using a computerized device comprising a display screen, a camera, an audio interface including a microphone and speaker, a computer processor, and memory, the vision test is initiated, which includes a graphical interface that displays information to the user and allows the user to input via a touch-sensitive field. The computerized device determines distance information relating to the measured distance between the computerized device and the user, measured from the image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized device, and the graphical interface is configured to dynamically display the distance information in real time as the measured distance changes. The visual acuity test is presented without using a refractive lens assembly, including the display of a predetermined visual target for the user to view via the graphical interface, and the visual acuity test is presented via the speaker of the audio interface. The predetermined visual target is displayed on the display screen without changing the size of the predetermined visual target, based on the measured distance between the user and the computerized device determined by the computerized device. The recording of the identified content spoken by the user while looking at the predetermined target via the microphone of the voice interface, The process involves performing speech recognition on the identified content spoken by the user to generate a string that corresponds to the identified content spoken, A method comprising determining the score of the vision test performed by the user based on the converted string.

2. The camera overlays an outline of a predetermined size and shape approximately the same as the head onto the user's image acquired in real time, and provides real-time feedback to the user to appropriately position the computerized device. Determining whether at least one of the measurement distance between the user and the computerized device and the camera alignment relative to the user's face satisfies a threshold for capturing an image of the eye surface, The user is notified that the appropriate arrangement has been achieved through at least one of a visual display and / or sound. The method according to claim 1, further comprising capturing an image of the user's eye surface with the camera of the computerized device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising simultaneously capturing images of the ocular surface by a plurality of cameras of the computerized device, wherein the plurality of cameras are configured to obtain images of the ocular surface from a plurality of different directions.

4. In order to detect that the user's eyes are in the correct position, the user's eye image is processed by real-time image analysis. With the user's eyes in the appropriate position, a still image of the user's eyes is acquired. The aforementioned still image is saved as an image of the eye surface. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the computer processor controlling the computerized device to capture an image of the eye surface.

5. Displaying an image of the user's head relative to the contour in real time, providing real-time feedback to the user in order to properly position the computerized device, and instructing the user to position the computerized device relative to the user, The method according to claim 2, further comprising determining whether at least one of the measurement distance between the user and the computerized device or the camera alignment relative to the user's face satisfies the threshold for capturing an image of the eye surface.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising pausing the automatic brightness adjustment of the display screen of the computerized device before presenting the vision test.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computerized device includes a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a personal computer.

8. A method for performing a user's vision test using a computerized device, Using the computerized device comprising a display screen, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a computer processor, and memory, the visual acuity test is initiated to evaluate the user's visual acuity. Using the image of the user captured by the camera of the computerized device, the computerized device determines the distance between the user and the computerized device based on the image size of the user's physical characteristics. The computerized device instructs the user to adjust the distance between the user and the computerized device to a predetermined distance range. The computerized device presents the visual acuity test, which does not use a refractive lens assembly, to the user, including displaying a predetermined target on the display screen of the computerized device so that the user can see it, and displaying the predetermined target on the display screen without changing the size of the predetermined target displayed on the display screen, based on the distance between the user and the computerized device determined by the computerized device. The identification content of the user's view of the predetermined target is recorded in the computerized device. Based on the aforementioned identification information, the score of the visual acuity test performed by the user is determined. A method that includes this.

9. The process involves processing the user's eye image by real-time image analysis to detect whether the user's eye direction is in the appropriate position, The process involves acquiring a still image of the user's eyes while they are in the appropriate position, The method according to claim 8, further comprising capturing an image of the user's eye surface by designating the still image as an eye surface image and saving it.

10. Displaying an outline of approximately the same shape as the head at a predetermined size on the display screen, and activating the camera, By displaying an image of the user's head against the aforementioned contour in real time, the system provides real-time feedback to the user to appropriately position the computerized device, and instructs the user to position the computerized device. Determining whether at least one of the separation distance between the user and the computerized device or the camera alignment relative to the user's face satisfies a threshold for capturing an image of the eye surface, The method of claim 8, further comprising capturing an image of the user's eye surface with the camera of the computerized device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising capturing an image of the user's eye surface by simultaneously capturing images of the eye surface with a plurality of cameras of the computerized device, wherein the plurality of cameras are spaced apart from each other, thereby obtaining images of the eye surface from a plurality of different directions.

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