Patent ID: 7121666
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for the kinetic analysis of at least one of lipid film spread and tear film interference on a cornea, comprising: a light source for illuminating said film of a cornea with light; a first light polarizer and a quarter-wave plate lying in a path of said light, between said light source and said cornea; a second light polarizer and said quarter-wave plate positioned between said cornea and an image recorder, said image recorder comprising a camera and a processor; a frame grabber coupled to said image recorder, the frame grabber positioned to capture a sequence of a series of images of said illuminated cornea, and wherein the processor comprises frame-grabbing software configured to record said series of images during an entire inter-blink interval; and an image output for providing said series of images to a display, said series of images illustrating at least one of tear film and a lipid film dispersion pattern indicative of a tear stability condition.