SBIR Phase I: Fast Two-Color Heterodyne Non-Contact Scanning System for Mapping Optical Parameters of Human Eye

该小型企业创新研究第一期项目开发了一种高速和高灵敏度的系统，用于以非接触方式使用肉眼不可见的红外光测量人眼的光学尺寸，例如总轴长，角膜厚度和晶体透镜的位置和厚度。这一任务是通过改进现有的时域低相干干涉测量技术来完成的。在活体患者的情况下，其通常不能被固定以进行稳定的测量，测量的速度和灵敏度对于实现高准确度和精确度特别重要。这项研究的广泛影响将使大部分患有白内障和其他视力问题的人群受益。美国65岁以上的人口预计将在2030年增加到7000多万。因此，迫切需要一种工具来治疗这一波眼部疾病和这类人群固有的问题。在眼科手术中，需要有关眼睛结构的信息，包括那些涉及更换受白内障影响的晶状体的手术。拟议的研究将产生一系列关键工具，旨在绘制眼睛，用于医学研究和更成功地治疗眼疾。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project develops a high speed and high sensitivity system for measuring optical dimensions of human eye, such as the total axial length, corneal thickness and the location and thickness of the crystalline lens, in a non-contact manner using infrared light, invisible to the eye. This task is accomplished by improving the existing technique of time domain low-coherence interferometry. In the case of a live patient, which in general cannot be immobilized for steady measurements, speed and sensitivity of the measurements are especially important to achieve high accuracy and precision. The broader impacts of this research will benefit a large part of the population that suffers from cataract and other vision problems. The U.S. population of over 65 years old is expected to increase to over 70 million in 2030. Therefore, there is a dramatic need for tools to treat the wave of eye diseases and problems inherent to such population. Information on the structure of the eye is required in eye surgeries, including those that deal with replacing the crystalline lenses affected by cataract. The proposed research will result in an array of critical tools aimed at mapping out the eye, for medical research and for more successful treatment of eye diseases.