SBIR Phase II: Fiber-optic System for Fast Non-contact Measurements of Optical Structure of Human eye

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)二期项目旨在开发一种高速、高灵敏度的系统，用于使用眼睛不可见的红外线以非接触的方式测量人眼的光学尺寸，如总轴长度、角膜厚度和晶状体的位置和厚度。这项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。对于不能固定进行稳定测量的活体患者，测量的速度和灵敏度对于实现高准确度和精密度尤为重要。这项研究的更广泛影响旨在使大部分患有白内障和其他视力问题的人群受益。预计到2030年，美国65岁以上的人口将增加到7000万以上。因此，迫切需要工具来治疗眼科疾病的浪潮和这些人口固有的问题。眼科手术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。这项拟议的研究将产生一系列关键工具，旨在绘制眼睛图，用于医学研究和疾病治疗。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is aimed at developing 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 case of a live patient, who 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 are aimed at benefiting large part of the population that suffers from cataract and other vision problems. The U.S. population of over 65 years old 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 treatment of the diseases.