Patent ID: 7330746

Claim:
A method of assessing a component of the blood of an animal, the method comprising performing the following steps non-invasively: irradiating a plurality of regions on a vascularized surface of the animal to generate radiation therefrom; evaluating a first optical property of each of said plurality of irradiated regions to identify at least one of said plurality of regions on the surface exhibiting a first optical characteristic of the blood, said first optical characteristic associated with said first optical property; selectively controlling irradiation of one or more of said plurality of regions that fail to exhibit said first optical characteristic of the blood; obtaining a second optical property from at least one identified region in said plurality of regions exhibiting said first optical characteristic, wherein said first and said second optical properties are generated by different spectroscopic modes, wherein the second optical property is generated by transmitting radiation, generated from said at least one identified region, through a filter, thereby obtaining filtered photons; assessing said component in said at least one identified region by evaluating said filtered photons for a second optical characteristic associated with said component; and reporting an identity of said component based on said assessment thereof.