The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for glaucoma early diagnosis. Conventionally, glaucoma is diagnosed by measuring intraocular pressure. By the time glaucoma is diagnosed using this approach, an irreversible damage to optic nerve can occur causing partial lost of sight. What needed is a way of diagnosing glaucoma with high confidence at its early stage to start treatment before the damage to optical nerve occurs.
Solution
The present invention suggests modifying OCT instrument to include a second illumination beam. By measuring reflectance of different wavelength beams from the retinal nerve fiber layer, early glaucoma damage can be detected.
Competitive Advantage
The invention provides means for early stage glaucoma diagnosis before the damage to optical nerve occurs.
Applications
Glaucoma diagnosis
Patent Status
International Patent application SPECTRAL CONTRAST FOR GLAUCOMA IMAGING was filed December 3, 2009.
Licensing Opportunity
We are seeking a commercialization partner with capabilities in product development, sales, and marketing. An exclusive license is available.
About the Inventors
Shuliang Jiao received his Ph.D. in Laser technology in 1992 and a second Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2003. His research has focused on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and polarimetry in biological tissues since 2000. Dr. Jiao joined the faculty of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in March 2004. Through his effort, several generations of high resolution 3D ophthalmic spectral-domain OCT system have been developed for imaging the retinal and anterior segments of human and animals. Dr. Jiao's research interests include both OCT technology development and OCT applications in ophthalmology, dermatology, and small animal imaging (structural and functional).
Dr. Huang is a research assistant professor at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. She holds a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Shanghai Second Medical University, China, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami. Her current research is focused at changes of the optical properties of RNFL in the context of glaucoma and to investigate the anatomic origins underlying these changes. The knowledge gained will improve the measurement sensitivity of glaucomatous damage in clinical practice.
Selected References
Huang, X.-R., and Knighton, R.W.: Altered F-actin distribution in retinal nerve fiber layer of a rat model of glaucoma. Expt. Eye. Res., 88: 1107-1114, 2009.
Huang X.-R., Bagga H., Greenfield D.S., Knighton R.W.: Variation of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer birefringence in normal human subjects. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci., 45 :3073-3080, 2004.
Huang, X.-R. and Knighton, R.W.: Linear birefringence of the retinal nerve fiber layer measured in vitro with a multispectral imaging micropolarimeter. J. Biomed. Optics 7, 199-204, 2002.
Huang X.-R., Knighton R.W. and Cavuoto L.N.: Microtubules contribution to the reflectance of retinal nerve fiber layer. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci., 47: 5363-5367, 2006.
