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Project Description: 3-D Laser Imaging of the Eye to Diagnose Glaucoma |
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Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Because of glaucoma's silent destruction of the optic nerve and the fact that blindness can be prevented in 90% of diagnosed cases, a need to find improved forms of detection and monitoring of glaucoma would be extremely beneficial to millions of people throughout the world. A new type of diagnostic instrument called the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) offers hope for improved detection and monitoring of glaucoma. HRT is a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope that generates three-dimensional images of the optic disc and peripapillary retina. The goal of my Independent Student Project (ISP) is to evaluate HRT and answer the following question: Does HRT offer clinicians a better method than current techniques for monitoring glaucomatous changes in the retina over time? My hypothesis is that HRT will provide clinicians an improved method for the early detection and subsequent monitoring of glaucoma. In order to conduct my study, I will be comparing HRT to Standard Automated Field Tests. I will be using computers and software to analyze and process an existing set of eye examination data. The data includes HRT data and visual field test results from approximately one hundred patients examined annually for at least three years. My objectives will be to (1) identify evidence of repeatable change of the optic disc and retina using visual field test results and HRT images, (2) classify patients as glaucoma patients or glaucoma suspects based on my analysis, and (3) determine the sensitivity, specificity and effectiveness of HRT. I will have support from experts in epidemiology and clinicians in the Department of Ophthalmology to ensure the success of my ISP. |
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