Our patent-pending invention provides a method, algorithm, hardware and set-up for a fast, accurate and reproducible test of visual acuity. We propose that this approach may eventually become a new standard of care.
The invention is based on the surprising discovery that high levels of several biological markers in white blood cells or their protein products in the blood may correlate with the disease state or a predisposition to develop AMD. The invention may increase the number of patients which will be diagnosed at the “dry” stage of the maculopathy (e.g. AMD) by performing a simple blood test.
A Visual Acuity Assessment Tool for Infants
Conventional testing requires the patient to view visual stimuli of varying sizes (such as numbers) and indicate what they see. Such a subjective assessment is impossible in the pre-verbal pediatric population. The physician must estimate the visual acuity using objective techniques. Typically this is limited to confirmation that the child appears to 1) fixate on an object of interest, 2) maintain fixation on the object, and 3) follow the object as it is moved. Unfortunately, such an assessment can only assure that the eye has coarse visual acuity. It cannot quantify the degree of vision, and cannot rule out mild-moderate visual disability. More sophisticated tools are available such as the Teller-Card Preferential Looking Technique, but are not used in many clinical practices likely due to the equipment cost and the practical challenges of performing the assessment.
We have developed a novel visual acuity assessment tool that consists of an animated video that is displayed to the infant.
