Spectacles-Mounted Tear Meniscus Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current eye health monitoring methods rely on sporadic office visits, which are inadequate for detecting progressive eye conditions like glaucoma, as they do not provide timely or continuous data on ocular health, leading to potential damage before symptoms appear.
Innovation Solution
A wearable spectacles-mounted ophthalmic monitoring system with sensors and processors that capture images and environmental data to monitor ocular health continuously, analyzing features such as tear film meniscus height, blink rate, and screen time to provide objective insights and real-time notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If sporadic office-based inspection is used to monitor eye health, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and reliability of ocular health data deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual office-based inspection with an automated wearable monitoring system that uses image sensors, environmental sensors, and processors to continuously capture and analyze ocular health data. This substitution of mechanical/manual examination with automated sensing technology enables continuous monitoring while maintaining or improving measurement precision through objective, consistent data collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable monitoring system enables patients to continuously monitor their own ocular health outside the clinic setting. The system autonomously captures images, detects environmental signals, processes data, and generates reports without requiring constant professional intervention, thereby providing self-service health monitoring that improves data reliability through continuous observation.
2Loss of time
If yearly or less frequent office visits are scheduled for eye health checks, then loss of time for patients is reduced, but reliability of detecting progressive eye conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable monitoring system provides continuous ocular health monitoring by continuously capturing images and environmental data, analyzing features like tear film meniscus height and blink rate, and tracking changes over time. This continuous observation replaces sporadic annual visits, enabling reliable detection of progressive conditions like glaucoma while reducing the need for frequent patient trips to the office.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary continuous monitoring and analysis of ocular health data in the patient's daily life, detecting early signs of deterioration before they become severe. This preliminary action allows for early intervention and reduces the urgency of frequent office visits, as the system proactively identifies issues that require professional attention.
3Measurement precision
If continuous monitoring with wearable sensors is implemented, then measurement precision and reliability of ocular health data improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable monitoring system uses multi-functional sensors that can capture various types of data (images, environmental signals, motion data) and perform multiple analysis functions (tear film meniscus detection, blink rate analysis, screen time monitoring). This multi-functionality consolidates multiple monitoring capabilities into a single integrated device, managing complexity while maintaining high measurement precision across multiple ocular health parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs an intermediary processor that bridges the image sensors and environmental sensors with the data analysis and interpretation functions. This intermediary processing layer manages the complexity by organizing raw sensor data, applying analysis algorithms, and generating meaningful health metrics, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining high measurement precision.
4Reliability
If frequent office visits are scheduled to ensure reliable detection of eye conditions, then reliability of monitoring improves, but loss of time and patient compliance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable monitoring system provides continuous ocular health monitoring in the patient's natural environment, capturing data throughout daily activities rather than only during scheduled office visits. This continuous monitoring ensures reliable detection of progressive eye conditions while eliminating the need for frequent time-consuming office trips, as the system operates autonomously during the patient's normal routine.
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
Enables continuous, objective monitoring of ocular health outside the clinic, allowing for early detection of eye issues and timely interventions, reducing the risk of vision loss and improving patient compliance with treatments.
Implementation Method 1
identify a reflection of a light-emitting screen in the field of view of one or more images within the series of images
Data Source
AI summary
A spectacles-mounted ophthalmic monitoring system may include a spectacles frame comprising a left rim and a right rim, an image sensor coupled with the spectacles frame to capture images of a field of view of an eye, and a processor. The processor may be configured to activate the image sensor to capture an image of the field of view, and identify a height of a tear film meniscus within the field of view of one or more images within the series of images.