Full-field Stimulus Threshold Testing with Adjustable Flash and Dichoptic Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Full-field Stimulus Threshold (FST) tests lack control over and variation of visual stimuli, are limited to binocular or monocular testing, and do not allow for dichoptic stimulation, which restricts the assessment of visual thresholds and clinical insights.
Innovation Solution
The method and apparatus for enhanced FST testing include delivering adjustable intensity and duration flashes, using multiple flashes, incorporating background light, and enabling dichoptic stimulation, allowing for varied and controlled visual stimuli to be presented to each eye independently, with a single controller managing both flash and background light.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional FST tests use fixed flash duration and intensity, then the test procedure is simple, but the ability to assess different visual functions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of flash stimulus parameters including duration, intensity, and inter-stimulus intervals. The system can adaptively adjust these parameters during testing to optimize assessment of different visual functions while maintaining manageable procedural complexity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes systematic variation of stimulus parameters (flash duration from milliseconds to seconds, intensity levels, background illumination) to enable differentiation of various visual pathway functions. This parameter-based approach allows comprehensive visual assessment without requiring fundamentally different test procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If FST tests are limited to binocular or monocular testing, then the testing setup is simple, but dichoptic stimulation and assessment are not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs separate stimulators for each eye that can be independently controlled, allowing dichoptic stimulation where different visual stimuli are presented to each eye simultaneously. This segmentation of the stimulation system enables advanced visual pathway assessment while maintaining relatively simple testing procedures through automated sequencing.
3Device complexity
If a single controller manages both flash and background light, then the system is simpler and more integrated, but control precision may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes a single stimulator system capable of performing multiple functions: delivering test flashes, providing background illumination, and controlling both simultaneously with independent parameter control. This multi-functional approach simplifies the overall system architecture while maintaining precise control through software-based parameter management.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for performing a full-field stimulus threshold (FST) test on a test subject, the method comprising: delivering at least one visual stimulus to at least one eye of the test subject, wherein the least one visual stimulus comprises a flash of light having an intensity and a duration, wherein the intensity of the flash of light is adjusted over the duration of the flash of light; obtaining at least one response from the test subject, wherein the at least one response corresponds to whether the test subject perceived the at least one visual stimulus; and determining the lowest intensity of light that the test subject is able to perceive based on the at least one response from the test subject.