AS-OCTA Conjunctival Vessel Analysis for Objective Ocular Inflammation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ocular redness grading scales for ocular surface diseases are subjective and lack consistency, making it difficult to objectively assess and monitor inflammation levels accurately.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing anterior segment optical coherence tomography angiography (AS-OCTA) to non-invasively evaluate conjunctival vessels and determine blood flow characteristics, enabling objective and quantitative assessment of ocular inflammation through metrics such as vessel density, diameter, and fractal dimension analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If subjective grading scales are used to assess ocular redness, then the assessment process is simple and quick, but the measurement precision and reliability are poor due to wide variability between practitioners
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual, subjective mechanical grading process with an automated optical imaging system (OCTA) that objectively measures blood vessel characteristics. The system uses optical coherence tomography angiography to capture and analyze conjunctival vasculature, substituting human visual assessment with machine-based quantitative analysis of vessel density, diameter, and tortuosity parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the assessment from subjective visual grading to objective measurement of specific physiological parameters including vessel density, vessel diameter, and vessel tortuosity. These quantifiable parameters provide precise, reproducible data about inflammation levels, replacing the vague 0-4 grading scale with measurable biological indicators.
2Reliability
If photographic images or artistically rendered images are used for grading scales, then the classification process is straightforward, but the reliability and consistency between practitioners are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual comparison process against reference images with an automated image analysis system. The OCTA system captures blood flow data and automatically processes it through algorithms that quantify vessel characteristics, eliminating the need for practitioners to subjectively compare images against grading scales.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-assessment by automatically analyzing the captured OCTA images and generating inflammation metrics without requiring practitioner interpretation. The built-in processing algorithms independently evaluate vessel parameters and produce objective results, making the assessment self-sufficient and eliminating inter-practitioner variability.
3Loss of information
If conventional imaging methods are used to assess ocular surface diseases, then the equipment is simple and widely available, but the ability to objectively quantify inflammation and monitor treatment response is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional two-dimensional photography with three-dimensional optical coherence tomography angiography. OCTA provides depth-resolved blood flow information and enables quantitative analysis of vascular parameters, substituting qualitative visual assessment with precise three-dimensional measurement of conjunctival vasculature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional surface imaging to three-dimensional volumetric imaging of the conjunctival vasculature. OCTA captures blood flow information across multiple depths, providing spatial distribution data that enables accurate quantification of vessel density and morphology, adding a depth dimension that conventional imaging cannot provide.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides a reliable, reproducible, and objective method for assessing ocular surface diseases, improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring by quantifying inflammation levels and reaction to therapy.
Implementation Method 1
anterior segment (AS) optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) imaging approaches to non-invasively evaluate conjunctival vessels
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods, systems, media, apparatus, devices, and other implementations, including a method that includes determining blood flow characteristics at an ocular surface of an eye of a patient, determining characteristics of blood vessels at the ocular surface of the eye based on the determined blood flow characteristics, and deriving one or more ocular redness grading scales indicative of inflammation levels of the eye of the patient based on the determined characteristics of the blood vessels at the ocular surface of the eye.