Thread-Based Visual Acuity Testing for Infants
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are inadequate for testing visual acuity in small children and infants, as they cannot read Snellen charts or verbally respond to standard visual acuity tests.
Innovation Solution
A method and kit using threads of varying thicknesses, displayed at a set distance, where the subject's ability to grab or look at the threads determines their visual acuity, allowing for non-verbal assessment and quantification of visual acuity using a range of thread thicknesses corresponding to different visual acuity levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard Snellen letter testing is used, then visual acuity can be quantified for adults, but it cannot be used for small children and infants who cannot read letters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the test stimulus from textual (Snellen letters) to visual (threads of varying thickness). By parameterizing thread thickness rather than letter size, the test becomes applicable to infants and young children who cannot read, while still enabling quantitative visual acuity measurement through the relationship between thread thickness and visual acuity levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the Snellen chart concept using threads instead of letters. The threads serve as a visual analogue to the letters, maintaining the progressive difficulty structure of the Snellen chart while removing the literacy requirement. This copying allows the same testing framework to be applied across all age groups from infancy to adulthood.
2Ease of operation
If picture-based Snellen charts are used for children who cannot read, then testing becomes possible, but the pictures do not provide quantitative visual acuity measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from qualitative picture recognition to quantitative thread thickness measurement. By using threads with precisely controlled thicknesses and establishing a direct relationship between thread thickness and visual acuity levels, the system achieves both ease of operation for non-verbal children and precise quantitative measurement of visual acuity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If threads of varying thickness are used, then visual acuity can be tested for non-verbal subjects, but the testing materials become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the visual acuity test into discrete thread options of varying thicknesses, similar to the letter options in a Snellen chart. Each thread represents a specific visual acuity level, allowing the test to be administered systematically through a simple sequential presentation format that does not require complex equipment or procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and kit for testing visual acuity in a subject. The examiner displays a test thread at a set distance in front of the subject's face, and then determines whether the subject grabs or looks at the test thread. These steps are repeated using subsequent threads of varying thickness. The smallest thread to which the subject responds is charted as their best VA in standard notation. The visual acuity of a young child can be quantified using standard adult Snellen acuity levels. The device can be used worldwide, as it transcends language barriers, and in a variety of practice settings, including pediatric ophthalmologist offices, general ophthalmologist offices, optometric offices, pediatricians and family doctors who see young children or persons unable to read a conventional Snellen chart and/or verbalize their responses.