Using the new backscatter probe, university, NASA Lewis Research Center and National Institute of Health researchers have pooled their expertise to devise a tool which eye care specialists will be able to use to monitor cataract formation. Cataracts are protein crystals which grow in the lens of the eye. By giving opthamologists the opportunity to non-invasively measure a wide range of cataract sizes, more treatment options become possible. This device is based on dynamic light-scattering principles. An optical fiber transmits a low-power laser beam.
Light scattered from within the eye back to the instrument is picked up by a second optical fiber.
The backscatter probe is based on surface light scattering spectroscopy, a way to non-invasively measure surface tension, viscosity, and temperature on any fluid or fluid interface. There is no risk of eye damage. After the data are processed on a laptop computer containing a single card correlator, the pattern of light for an individual patient can be recorded and kept on file. A change in protein particle size indicates the onset of a cataract. The device has been recently demonstrated on live animals and on cadaver eyes.