I-Corps: A Computational Solution to Evaluate Optic Nerve Function

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是客观技术的潜在发展，该技术可用于潜在地检测对视觉刺激的不同反应，以模拟视神经的功能。这项技术可能会让医生对出现头痛或视力丧失的患者进行分流，而不需要昂贵的、往往是只有在高级眼科诊所才能获得的额外检查。这项技术还可以用来监测和预测患者的病情发展，因为它可以缩短眼科专家目前看患者的间隔时间。这个i-Corps项目基于潜在的视力筛查测试的开发，以评估头盔显示器中相对传入的瞳孔缺陷，这种测试可能负担得起，使用方便，并能够产生视神经健康的评估。该产品的核心技术是一种工具，可以让医生通过远程和更短的时间间隔进行例行眼科检查，从而更多地参与到患者的护理中。非专科医生(主治医生或急诊医生)可能是该产品的主要客户。医生能够对视觉刺激的传入反应进行快速、可靠和高精度的测量，以监测视神经的健康及其功能，特别是当他们的患者出现突然和无法解释的视力变化或头痛时。此外，该产品可能能够执行基线测试，以预测患者对治疗的反应或疾病的发展潜力，这可能有助于减少临床就诊次数并提高医生的生产力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of objective technology that could be utilized to potentially detect different responses to visual stimuli to model the functions of the optic nerve. This technology may allow physicians to triage patients who present with headaches or vision losses without the potential need for expensive and often additional tests only available at advanced ophthalmic clinics. This technology could also be used to monitor and predict the progression of a patient’s disease, as it may reduce the intervals with which patients are currently seen by eye specialists.This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of a vision screening test to evaluate relative afferent pupillary defects in a head-mounted display that may be affordable, convenient to use, and capable of generating an assessment of the health of the optic nerve. The core technology in the product is a tool that may allow physicians to be more involved with the care of their patients by performing routine eye exams remotely and at shorter time intervals. Non-specialists (principal care doctors or emergency doctors) may be among the primary customers of this product. Doctors could be able to make quick, reliable, and highly accurate measurements of afferent responses to visual stimuli to monitor the health of the optic nerve and its function, especially when their patient presents sudden and unexplainable vision changes or headaches. In addition, the product may be able to perform baseline tests to predict the patient’s responses to treatment or the progression potential of their disease which could help reduce the number of clinic visits and increase doctors’ productivity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.