A new method and computer program for characterizing ocular accommodation have been developed. The method comprises measuring spherical refractive errors of an eye for different additional optical powers with respect to reference refraction: calculating the behavior of an accommodation signal of the eye and analyzing the behavior of the accommodation signal.
The Challenge
Accommodation, that is, the capacity of the eye to focus at different distances, must be completely avoided during subjective refraction to find the right combination of lenses that compensates for the ocular ametropia (myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism). In children and young adults, control of accommodation is a challenging task due to their involuntary tendency to accommodate. Accommodation is usually controlled by instilling cyclopegic drops to temporally paralyze the ciliary muscle (however, its effects may persist beyond the test by limiting the visual capacity, which might be uncomfortable for the patient) or by placing positive (fogging) lenses in front of the eye to relax it. However, there is no certainty about the true accommodation state of the eye when the fogging
The Technology
The Centre for Sensors Instruments and Systems Development (CD6) of the UPC has developed a technology that allows retrieving the accommodation response and determining by objective means when accommodation activates during subjective refraction. The technology is composed by an instrument that measures, in real-time, the accommodation state and may be coupled to commercial phoropters, which are the instruments used by optometrist and ophthalmologists to perform the subjective refraction. The information retrieved by the system may be given to clinicians to ensure the non-accommodation for the subjective refraction found.
Current stage of development
The technology has been proven in a relevant environment (technology readiness level TRL 5). The methodology for automatic characterization of the accommodation response is being validated.
Applications and Target Market
Technology suitable for providing estimations of the refractive state of the eye and validating eye tests in clinical practice of optometrist and ophthalmologist.
Target market: manufacturers of optometric instrumentation.
Innovative advantages
The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech is a public institution dedicated to higher education and research in the fields of engineering, architecture and science, which contributes its knowledge and expertise in order to increase scientific output, transfer its results to society and provide a network of scientific and technical state-of-the-art facilities and technology valorization services that place us at the leading edge of innovation and economic development.
The UPC has established itself as a driver of innovation and is the technology partner of choice for companies and organizations with which it develops projects and builds partnerships. A role borne out by the numerous agreements and research projects that have been set in motion by groups, organizations and laboratories; the creation of new technology-based companies; the generation and exploitation of patents, and the scientific and technical services UPC makes available to its environment in order to generate progress and employment.
The Technology Transfer Office (SGI) is responsible of Designing, coordinating and implementing research valorisation strategies, carrying out the protection policy of the research results, marketing these results through license contracts and designing and setting up the University's enterprise creation model in order to transfer the results of the research to the market, protect and commercialize these results, promote the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, and create technology-based companies within the UPC environment.
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