Applied Optics: a new optical instrument can be used to diagnose dry eye disease

October 9, 2019 news / BIOON / -- according to a recent study, researchers have developed a new non-invasive optical imaging system, which is expected to improve the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease When the inner layer of the tear film protecting the outside of the eye is not stable enough, it will cause "dry eye syndrome", which usually causes irritation and blurred vision Nowadays, most cases of dry eye disease are diagnosed by visual acuity questionnaire, which is too subjective to determine the cause of the disease On the other hand, direct examination of tear film is often invasive, and can not track the rapid changes in the eyes (image source: www Pixabay Com) Dr yoel arieli, from Adom advanced optical methods Ltd., who led the research, said: "as the proportion of dry eyes in ophthalmic clinics is as high as 60%, we need to develop non-invasive and highly accurate equipment that can be used for routine examinations Our tear film imager is the first device in Israel that can be used for ophthalmology or optometry It can image tear film and distinguish it with nanometer resolution " In a recent issue of Applied Optics, the researchers described the device's ability to perform large field spectral measurements in seconds They report that even in the blink of an eye, the imager can get fast and consistent measurements from the human eye "There has been no significant progress in the diagnosis of dry eye disease in recent years," Dr arieli said In this regard, we have developed an instrument in cooperation with professional doctors, which can be used in clinical environment By accurately imaging the inner layer of tear film, it can be used to diagnose dry eye and understand its causes " The new instrument irradiates the eyeball with a halogen lamp which is safe for the eyes, and then analyzes its all-optical spectrum reflected with time and space, so as to accurately measure the structure of the inner layer of tear film, especially the aqueous sublayer Aquifer plays an important role in dry eye, but it is difficult to analyze it by other methods The tear film imager has been used in two clinical studies in Israel and Canada for the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye Future research may help better treat dry eyes, improve surgical outcomes and provide recommendations for more accurate glasses, the researchers said Sources of information: optical image poised to improve diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease original sources: yoel Cohen, Shlomi epshtein, alon Harris, Raanan Gefen, Lawrence kagemann, yoel arieli Team film image for dynamic mapping of the human team film Applied optics, 2019; 58 (29): 7987 doi: 10.1364/ao.58.007987