PRECISE FUNCTIONAL VISION TARGETED WITH FUNDUS IMAGING

The ability to precisely measure retinotopically localized visual function is becoming useful as a technique to objectively assess the outcomes of localized intervention procedures that are currently in practice and/or being developed (such as the use of artificial retina material placed directly on the human retina). The primary objective of this proposal is to enhance and to transfer the technology that we have developed to access functional vision under fundus monitoring to a stand-alone instrument. This stand-alone instrument will be developed in latter phases of this application to be a commercial viable product. This system will be capable of presenting visual stimuli of high spatial and temporal quality, including letter optotypes such as those clinically employed to assess visual acuity. A real-time analysis system will process the image of the retina and calculate when the targeted retina is aligned, and when and where to present a visual stimulus. The stand-alone instrument will be compact, straightforward to use clinically, and affordable. Thus, precisely localized functional visual performance can be determined quickly in a human subject. This can be used for identifying islands of remaining vision among diseased areas for reading rehabilitation training and also useful in discrete retinal location treatments.