Patent ID: 11937877
Assignee: SCHEPENS EYE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 10:
11. A method for measuring dark adaption characteristics of a patient using virtual reality goggles (VR goggles) comprising:
exposing at least a first eye of the patient to a light source in the VR goggles to bleach a retinal location of the first eye;
displaying to the first eye on a display of the VR goggles a first fixation target and a first test stimulus, the first fixation target having a constant luminance and the first test stimulus having a variable luminance;
instructing the patient by the VR goggles or an associated computer system to look at the first fixation target with the first eye and waiting until the patient communicates with the VR goggles or the associated computer system to acknowledge that the patient can see the first test stimulus with the first eye;
reducing the luminance of the first test stimulus on the display of the VR goggles and waiting for the patient to acknowledge that the patient can see the first test stimulus with the reduced luminance;
continuing to reduce the luminance of the first test stimulus on the display and waiting for the patient to acknowledge that the patient can see each reduced luminance first test stimulus until either a maximum allowable time period has expired or the first test stimulus with a lowest possible luminance has been displayed by the VR goggles and acknowledged by the patient;
recording in a memory of the VR goggles or the associated computer system a level of the luminance of the first test stimulus and a time period between first displaying the first test stimulus and the patient communicating with the VR goggles or the associated computer system for each instance of displaying the first test stimulus,
determining, by a process of the VR goggles or the associated computer system, dark adaption measurements of the first eye based on the measured and recorded luminance and time periods; and
further comprising
exposing a second eye of the patient to the light source;
displaying to the second eye a second fixation target and a second test stimulus, the second fixation target having a constant luminance and the second test stimulus having a variable luminance;
instructing the patient by the VR goggles to look at the second fixation target with the second eye and waiting until the patient communicates with the VR goggles or the associated computer system to acknowledge that the patient can see the second test stimulus with the second eye;
reducing the luminance of the second test stimulus on the display of the VR goggles and waiting for the patient to acknowledge that the patient can see the second test stimulus with the reduced luminance;
continuing to reduce the luminance of the second test stimulus on the display and waiting for the patient to acknowledge that the patient can see each reduced luminance second test stimulus until either a maximum allowable time period has expired or the second test stimulus with a lowest possible luminance has been displayed by the VR goggles and acknowledged by the patient;
recording in a memory of the VR goggles or the associated computer system a level of the luminance of the second test stimulus and a time period between first displaying the second test stimulus and the patient communicating with the VR goggles or the associated computer system for each instance of displaying the second test stimulus;
determining, by the processor, dark adaptation measurements of each of the first and second eyes of the patient based on the measured and recorded luminance and time periods;
wherein the first and second fixation targets and the first and second test stimuluses are presented to the first and second eyes through an alternating pattern such that each of the first and second eyes are measured simultaneously; and
wherein the VR goggles visually isolate the first and second eyes relative to each other during measuring.