Diagnose von Augenerkrankungen auf der Basis eines neuartigen funktionellen parallelen Video-Ophthalmoskops.

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Ralf-Peter Tornow
• Subject Area: Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: from 2016 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 285882518

The main aim of this project is to evaluate the glaucomadiscrimination performance of new parameters that can be measuredusing a unique video ophthalmoscope. The outstandingcharacteristics of the video ophthalmoscope are: optic design for nonmydriaticfast video acquisition with visible light, low light level forunlimited application time, specially selected two wavelengthillumination to assess optic nerve head color and to compensatechanging illumination, integrated fixation target to stabilize fixation,integrated flicker light source for functional imaging, and small size touse two ophthalmoscopes to measure both eyes simultaneously. Thefollowing parameters can be calculated from acquired short videosequences (about 10 s) of both eyes: Cardiac cycle induced reflectionchanges (amplitude, rise time, time shift between sides), optic nervehead color, and vessel parameters. After flicker light illumination,changes of parameters (amount of change, response time) can alsobe measured. For the first time, it is possible to compare parametersand flicker light induced changes of parameters of both sides withhigh temporal resolution of about 40 ms. The measurements will beintegrated in the work flow of the Erlangen Glaucoma Registry(Department of Ophthalmology), a clinical registry for cross sectionaland longitudinal observation of patients with open angle glaucoma(OAG) or glaucoma suspects. Results of patients will be compared tonormal values and parameters of established clinical methods suchas intra ocular pressure, perimetric sensitivity, and retinal nerve fiberlayer thickness. Results in normal subjects and patients will be usedto find new parameters or combinations of parameters that allow anearlier detection of beginning glaucoma compared to establishedmethods. This is a joint project of the Department of Ophthalmology ofthe Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the BrnoUniversity of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering,Czech Republic. In this joint project, the Czech group is responsiblefor software development for fast data acquisition, image processingand image analysis. The Erlangen group is responsible for thedevelopment of the functional two color parallel videoophthalmoscope, the clinical evaluation of the different applicationsand the analysis and interpretation of the results. We hypothesize thatthese dynamic and functional characteristics and derived parametersrecorded using the unique video ophthalmoscope will help to detectglaucoma in its very early stage, which will have a direct impact ontreatment as well as treatment cost reduction and quality of life of thepatients. New fast and easy to use methods are important for theearly detection of glaucoma because it was shown that despiteimproved diagnostic and therapeutic advancements a significantproportion of patients still progress to blindness, often due to latediagnosis.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants