Method and Apparatus for Imaging the Eye from a Distance

Technology 

A video camera and nearby light source illuminate the eye and capture a sequence of retinal retroreflection images as the eye rotates through different gaze positions. For each image, the system determines the eye's direction of gaze using a fixation target, an eye tracker, or other sensor-based measurements. The calculated gaze direction and known scene geometry are then used to determine the precise retinal location represented by each retroreflection image. Finally, the system combines intensity data from the sequence to reconstruct a high-resolution digital image of the retina without relying on by summing light intensities corresponding to each pixel across all captured images. 

Problem Addressed 

Existing retinal imaging approaches have limited capability for reconstructing detailed retinal images from long distances or in non-contact scenarios. This technology instead determines the precise retinal location of each retroreflection measurement using calculated eye gaze, eliminating the need for feature matching during reconstruction. As a result, it enables high-resolution retinal imaging over distances ranging from centimeters to many meters, expanding the potential for non-contact retinal imaging and medical diagnostics. 

Advantages 

• Enables high-resolution retinal image reconstruction by combining retinal retroreflection images acquired as the eye rotates through different positions. 

• Uses calculated eye gaze to precisely position each retinal retroreflection image during reconstruction. 

• Determines gaze direction to enable non-contact eye tracking and attention monitoring, including applications in driver-monitoring and autonomous-vehicle systems.  

• Supports retinal imaging from distances ranging from centimeters to many meters, enabling non-contact image acquisition.  

• Applicable to multiple use cases, including medical diagnosis, biometric identification, augmented reality, and gaze tracking.