Home Optometer Using Collimated Point Source for Refractive Error Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optometry methods for assessing refractive errors, such as ametropia, are either inaccurate due to the retina's poor reflective quality in objective measurements or require extensive subjective input from patients, making them inconvenient and inaccessible for widespread use.
Innovation Solution
A subjective optometer with a diffraction-limited test object and collimator allows users to make accurate measurements of refractive errors by adjusting light intensity, color, and numerical aperture, enabling self-assessment of refractive errors at home with improved accuracy and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If objective measurement methods are used to assess refractive errors, then the measurement process is automated and does not require patient input, but the measurement accuracy deteriorates due to the retina's poor reflective quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a semi-transparent mirror as an intermediary device that allows simultaneous objective measurement by the autorefractor and subjective input from the patient. This mediator enables both automated measurement and accurate patient feedback to coexist in the same optical path, resolving the contradiction between automation and measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If traditional subjective optometry methods are used, then measurement accuracy is improved through patient feedback, but device complexity and inconvenience increase requiring visits to optometrists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines objective measurement capabilities (autorefractor) with subjective patient feedback mechanisms into a single integrated device. This merging allows the system to perform both automated objective assessment and patient-driven subjective evaluation, achieving high measurement precision while simplifying the overall process and enabling home use.
Solution Approach 2:
The optometer is designed to perform multiple functions: objective refraction measurement, subjective patient feedback collection, and prescription determination. This multi-functionality allows a single device to replace both traditional objective and subjective optometry methods, reducing the need for separate visits and specialized equipment.
3Ease of operation
If home-use optometers are developed, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but measurement reliability may deteriorate without professional supervision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms where the patient can provide immediate subjective responses to measurement stimuli. This feedback loop allows the device to adjust and refine measurements based on patient input, ensuring reliability even without professional supervision. The system processes patient feedback automatically to determine the final prescription.
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
The subjective optometer provides reliable and accurate assessments of refractive errors, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, allowing for precise determination of corrective lens prescriptions and tracking changes in vision, while being affordable and accessible for home use.
Implementation Method 1
a collimator to direct light from the test object into the eye
Implementation Method 2
A subjective optometer with a diffraction-limited test object and collimator allows users to make accurate measurements of refractive errors
Data Source
AI summary
An optometer may include a test object including a point light source and a collimator lens configured to collimate light from the point light source. The optometer may generate, for a user viewing the point light source through the collimator lens, an image of the point illumination source on a retina of an eye when the eye is in a rest position without triggering the eye to focus. A user-perceived deviation of the image of the point source from an in-focus image is indicative of visual refractive error of the user. A user may use the device with a naked eye to gauge visual refractive error of the eye or may use the device with corrective lenses to gauge the efficacy of the corrective lenses.