Patent ID: 8909327

Claim:
An instrument for simultaneously monitoring tear film break-up, optical aberrations, and visual performance of an eye of a human subject, the instrument comprising three channels and a first and a second computer, (a) the first channel for monitoring optical aberrations in the eye, wherein the first channel comprises: (i) a first laser, the first laser emitting a single beam of light having a wavelength of between about 600 nm and about 900 nm; (ii) one or more mirrors for directing the beam of light from the first laser to the subject's eye; (iii) one or more lenses for focusing the light emitted from the first laser or reflected from the subject's eye; (iv) one or more apertures for collimating the light emitted from the first laser or reflected from the subject's eye; (v) a first camera capable of detecting the wavelength of light emitted from the first laser; (b) the second channel for monitoring tear film break up in the eye, wherein the second channel comprises: (i) a second laser, the second laser emitting a single beam of infrared light having a wavelength of between 700 nm to 1 mm; (ii) one or more mirrors for directing the beam of light from the second laser to the subject's eye; (iii) at least one lens for focusing the beam of light from the second laser; (iv) a second camera capable of detecting the wavelength of infrared light emitted by the second laser; (c) the third channel for monitoring visual performance, wherein the third channel comprises a means for projecting visual test images onto the eye of the subject; (d) the first computer operably connected to the second camera for recording images of the tear film detected by the second camera; (e) the second computer operably connected to the first camera, to the means for displaying visual test images, and to an element by which the subject may adjust a feature of a visual test image; and (f) the first and second computers synchronized such that optical aberrations and tear film break up can be monitored simultaneously by the first and second cameras and the second computer configured such that the subject can maintain the visual test target at a detection threshold concurrent with the monitoring of tear film break up and optical aberrations.