Patent Grant
11389368
Amblyopia, sometimes called “lazy eye” is a common vision problem that occurs when vision in one or both eyes does not develop properly during childhood. The conditions that cause amblyopia may include strabismus, in which the eyes are crossed inward (esotropia) or turned outward (exotropia) and anisometropia, in which there is a major difference in refractive error between the two eyes from nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Less common causes of amblyopia include ptosis (drooping) of one eyelid, disease of the cornea (preventing light from entering the eye), congenital cataract, and injury to the eye of a young child.
For people with amblyopia, the brain favors one eye over the other and the other eye is ignored. It is not adequately stimulated and the visual brain cells do not mature normally. Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular blindness, partial or complete blindness in one eye and it affects 2 to 3% of children in the US.
Treatment may involve surgical correction of the eye muscle imbalance. In the case of severe refractive error, it should be corrected by glasses, contact lenses or, if appropriate, laser surgery. Wearing an eye patch over the stronger eye is a traditional treatment for amblyopia. Another option is atropine eye drops to blur the vision temporarily in the stronger eye.
Adults with amblyopia respond more slowly (if at all) to some treatments and thus, doctors often look to early diagnosis and treatment for best results. One challenge, however, is that children may not be fully diligent in adherence to treatment (pulling off eye patches, removing lenses, resisting drops). This invention seeks to overcome some of the current amblyopia treatment challenges.
A method for treating amblyopia in a patient includes: providing a virtual reality headset having a display that provides a first display to a left eye and a second display to the right eye; and manipulating one of the first display or the second display such that the manipulation encourages a patent's amblyopic eye to perform more work than the non-amblyopic eye.
Hardware Introduction
The system and method of treating amblyopia described may be implemented using system and hardware elements shown and described herein. For example,
The network 110 may be wired or wireless. If it is wired, the network may include coaxial cable, twisted pair lines, USB cabling, or optical lines. The wireless network may operate using BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), infrared, or satellite networks. The wireless links may also include any cellular network standards used to communicate among mobile devices including the many standards prepared by the International Telecommunication Union such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. Cellular network standards may include GSM, GPRS, LTE, WiMAX, and WiMAX-Advanced. Cellular network standards may use various channel communications such as FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, or SDMA. The various networks may be used individually or in an interconnected way and are thus depicted as shown in
The network 110 may be located across many geographies and may have a topology organized as point-to-point, bus, star, ring, mesh, or tree. The network 110 may be an overlay network which is virtual and sits on top of one or more layers of other networks.
In most cases, every device on a network has a unique identifier. In the TCP/IP protocol, the unique identifier for a computer is an IP address. An IPv4 address uses 32 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. An IPv4 address is expressed by four numbers separated by dots. Each number is the decimal (base-10) representation for an eight-digit binary (base-2) number, also called an octet. An IPv6 address uses 128 binary bits to create a single unique address on the network. An IPv6 address is expressed by eight groups of hexadecimal (base-16) numbers separated by colons.
An IP address can be either dynamic or static. A static address remains constant for a system unless modified by a user. Dynamic addresses are assigned by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), a service running on the network. DHCP typically runs on network hardware such as routers or dedicated DHCP servers.
Dynamic IP addresses are issued using a leasing system, meaning that the IP address is only active for a limited time. If the lease expires, the computer will automatically request a new lease. Sometimes, this means the computer will get a new IP address, too, especially if the computer was unplugged from the network between leases. This process is usually transparent to the user unless the computer warns about an IP address conflict on the network (two computers with the same IP address).
Another identifier for a device is the hostname. A hostname is a human-readable label assigned to a device and can be modified by a user. Hostname can be resolved to the IP address of the device. This makes hostname a more reliable device identifier in a network with dynamic IP addresses.
Information in the IP Address may be used to identify devices, geographies, and networks. The hostname may be used to identify devices.
A system may include multiple servers 104a-c stored in high-density rack systems. If the servers are part of a common network, they do not need to be physically near one another but instead may be connected by a wide-area network (WAN) connection or similar connection.
Management of group of networked servers may be de-centralized. For example, one or more servers 104a-c may include modules to support one or more management services for networked servers including management of dynamic data, such as techniques for handling failover, data replication, and increasing the networked server's performance.
The servers 104a-c may be file servers, application servers, web servers, proxy servers, network appliances, gateways, gateway servers, virtualization servers, deployment servers, SSL VPN servers, or firewalls.
When the network 110 is in a cloud environment, the cloud network 110 may be public, private, or hybrid. Public clouds may include public servers maintained by third parties. Public clouds may be connected to servers over a public network. Private clouds may include private servers that are physically maintained by clients. Private clouds may be connected to servers over a private network. Hybrid clouds may, as the name indicates, include both public and private networks.
The cloud network may include delivery using IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) or Storage, Database, Information, Process, Application, Integration, Security, Management, Testing-as-a-service. IaaS may provide access to features, computers (virtual or on dedicated hardware), and data storage space. PaaS may include storage, networking, servers or virtualization, as well as additional resources such as, e.g., the operating system, middleware, or runtime resources. SaaS may be run and managed by the service provider and SaaS usually refers to end-user applications. A common example of a SaaS application is SALESFORCE or web-based email.
A client 102a-d may access IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS resources using preset standards and the clients 102a-c may be authenticated. For example, a server or authentication server may authenticate a user via security certificates, HTTPS, or API keys. API keys may include various encryption standards such as, e.g., Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Data resources may be sent over Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
The clients 102a-d and servers 104a-c may be embodied in a computer, network device or appliance capable of communicating with a network and performing the actions herein.
The storage device 126 may include an operating system, software, and a network user behavior module 128, in which may reside the network user behavior system and method described in more detail below.
The computing device 120 may include a memory port, a bridge, one or more input/output devices, and a cache memory in communication with the central processing unit.
The central processing unit 122 may be a logic circuitry such as a microprocessor that responds to and processes instructions fetched from the main memory 124. The CPU 122 may use instruction level parallelism, thread level parallelism, different levels of cache, and multi-core processors. A multi-core processor may include two or more processing units on a single computing component.
The main memory 124 may include one or more memory chips capable of storing data and allowing any storage location to be directly accessed by the CPU 122. The main memory unit 124 may be volatile and faster than storage memory 126. Main memory units 124 may be dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or any variants, including static random access memory (SRAM). The main memory 124 or the storage 126 may be non-volatile.
The CPU 122 may communicate directly with a cache memory via a secondary bus, sometimes referred to as a backside bus. In other embodiments, the CPU 122 may communicate with cache memory using the system bus 150. Cache memory typically has a faster response time than main memory 124 and is typically provided by SRAM or similar RAM memory.
Input devices may include keyboards, mice, trackpads, trackballs, touchpads, touch mice, multi-touch touchpads and touch mice, microphones, multi-array microphones, drawing tablets, cameras, single-lens reflex camera (SLR), digital SLR (DSLR), CMOS sensors, accelerometers, infrared optical sensors, pressure sensors, magnetometer sensors, angular rate sensors, depth sensors, proximity sensors, ambient light sensors, gyroscopic sensors, or other sensors. Output devices may include video displays, graphical displays, speakers, headphones, inkjet printers, laser printers, 3D printers, and VR headsets.
Additional I/O devices may have both input and output capabilities, including haptic feedback devices, touchscreen displays, or multi-touch displays. Touchscreen, multi-touch displays, touchpads, touch mice, or other touch sensing devices may use different technologies to sense touch, including, e.g., capacitive, surface capacitive, projected capacitive touch (PCT), in-cell capacitive, resistive, infrared, waveguide, dispersive signal touch (DST), in-cell optical, surface acoustic wave (SAW), bending wave touch (BWT), or force-based sensing technologies. Some multi-touch devices may allow two or more contact points with the surface, allowing advanced functionality including, e.g., pinch, spread, rotate, scroll, or other gestures.
In some embodiments, display devices 142 may be connected to the I/O controller 140. Display devices may include liquid crystal displays (LCD), thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD), blue phase LCD, electronic papers (e-ink) displays, flexile displays, light emitting diode displays (LED), digital light processing (DLP) displays, liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, liquid crystal laser displays, time-multiplexed optical shutter (TMOS) displays, VR or 3D displays.
The computing device 120 may include a network interface 130 to interface to the network 110 through a variety of connections including standard telephone lines LAN or WAN links (802.11, T1, T3, Gigabit Ethernet), broadband connections (ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM, Gigabit Ethernet, Ethernet-over-SONET, ADSL, VDSL, BPON, GPON, fiber optical including FiOS), wireless connections, or some combination of any or all of the above. Connections can be established using a variety of communication protocols. The computing device 120 may communicate with other computing devices via any type and/or form of gateway or tunneling protocol such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS). The network interface 130 may include a built-in network adapter, network interface card, PCMCIA network card, EXPRESSCARD network card, card bus network adapter, wireless network adapter, USB network adapter, modem or any other device suitable for interfacing the computing device 120 to any type of network capable of communication and performing the operations described herein.
The computing device 120 may operate under the control of an operating system that controls scheduling of tasks and access to system resources. The computing device 120 may be running any operating system such as any of the versions of the MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating systems, the different releases of the Unix and Linux operating systems, any version of the MAC OS for Macintosh computers, any embedded operating system, any real-time operating system, any open source operating system, any proprietary operating system, any operating systems for mobile computing devices, or any other operating system capable of running on the computing device and performing the operations described herein.
The computer system 120 can be any workstation, telephone, desktop computer, laptop or notebook computer, netbook, tablet, server, handheld computer, mobile telephone, smartphone or other portable telecommunications device, media playing device, a gaming system, mobile computing device, or any other type and/or form of computing, telecommunications or media device that is capable of communication.
The status of one or more machines 102a-c, 104a-c may be monitored, generally, as part of network management. In one of these embodiments, the status of a machine may include an identification of load information (the number of processes on the machine, CPU and memory utilization), of port information (the number of available communication ports and the port addresses), session status (the duration and type of processes, and whether a process is active or idle), or as mentioned below. In another of these embodiments, this information may be identified by a plurality of metrics, and the plurality of metrics can be applied at least in part towards decisions in load distribution, network traffic management, and network failure recovery as well as any aspects of operations of the present solution described herein. Aspects of the operating environments and components described above will become apparent in the context of the systems and methods disclosed herein.
VR Headset as Client
The VR headset 102d shown in
A VR headset or head-mounted display HMD 102d may include a frame 210 that can be mounted through a strap (not shown) to a user's head. The frame includes a left eye display 220 and a right eye display 230, separated by a divider 240, to create a stereoscopic effect and give the illusion of depth. The VR headset 102d also can include on-board processing and operating systems to allow an application to run locally. Some VR headsets incorporate positioning systems that track the user's head position and angle to allow a user to virtually look around a VR environment by moving their head. And some VR headsets 102d may also track eye movement and hand movement to bring additional details to attention and allow natural interactions with the VR environment.
A typical HMD 102d with two small displays 220, 230 may include lenses and semi-transparent mirrors embedded in eyeglasses (also termed data glasses), a visor, or a helmet. The display units 220, 230 may include cathode ray tubes (CRT), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). Some vendors employ multiple micro-displays to increase total resolution and field of view.
HMDs differ in whether they can display only computer-generated imagery (CGI), or only live imagery from the physical world, or combination. Most HMDs can display only a computer-generated image, sometimes referred to as virtual image. Some HMDs can allow a CGI to be superimposed on real-world view. This is sometimes referred to as augmented reality or mixed reality. Combining real-world view with CGI can be done by projecting the CGI through a partially reflective mirror and viewing the real world directly. This method is often called optical see-through. Combining real-world view with CGI can also be done electronically by accepting video from a camera and mixing it electronically with CGI. This method is often called video see-through.
While most HMDs are setup to simulate an immersive 3D environment using stereoscopic imaging techniques that take advantage of the two displays 220, 230, this is not required, and the HMDs can be used for simply viewing videos or web browsing, that is, in any traditional manner for using a display.
Some VR headsets 102d may include a slot for insertion or capture of a mobile phone, which itself provides the display that makes up the first and second displays by dividing the mobile phone display into two images.
In an amblyopia treatment setting, a patient may put on an HMD 102d under the guidance of a medical professional or following a plan proscribed by one. The HMD displays 220, 230 may begin to display content. The content may be a game, video, or any display that would engage the patient.
Before or during viewing, the displays 220, 230 may be adjusted in order to begin the treatment and “exercise” of the amblyopic eye. The adjustments may include the following to one or both displays in order to treat one of the yes by exercising it more than its counterpart.
Mathematically, applying a Gaussian blur to an image is the same as convolving the image with a Gaussian function. This is also known as a two-dimensional Weierstrass transform. Since the Fourier transform of a Gaussian is another Gaussian, applying a Gaussian blur has the effect of reducing the image's high-frequency components.
One or more of the above filters may be used at once, in sequence or as part of an ongoing treatment of a patient according to a treatment plan proscribed by a medical professional.
In use, when a patient wears the HMD, they interact with the program or video being run in in the displays just as they normally would, through the various input devices noted above. And during this interaction, they may sense the application of the filters, but this should not materially affect their interaction with the program. Thus, while they are receiving a form of entertaining therapy. This is particularly appealing for children, who can “go play a game for an hour,” whereby the hour is actually an hour of eye exercise for an Amblyopic eye.
Any gaming or video streaming may be done in 2D or simulated 3D using stereoscopic images.
System Interface
User Interface
Upon starting the interface, a user may encounter a Login Page as the first point of entry of the application where the user may interact with the treatment. This page is designed for the guardian of the patient (or alternatively, the patient themselves if they are legal age). There are two ways to login; a physician provided Access Code, or optionally, an Email Address and associated Password. The Forgot Password link allows for Password reset, and the Terms link allows them to read certain Terms and Conditions upon which the application may be used.
After a successful login, the user may arrive at a main page 300 as shown in
A pair page allows the guardian to enter a code provided by the VR headset that allows them to pair to any VR headset. It sends the router address information via a web socket on the server in order to setup a connection without the patient or guardian entering anything complicated.
A streaming content page allows the guardian to select which window on their desktop (of possible windows currently active) that will be streamed to the HMD.
The guardian may also be able to access more than one patient if they have more than one child/patient in treatment.
Physician Interface
The physician or medical professional interface differs from the user/guardian interface in that it may be focused on patient treatment and results.
A physician may login with an admin provided access code, or an email address/ID and associated password. A terms link allows a physician to read the Terms and Conditions.
Following login, a physician enters the physician main page 500 shown in
The physician can also add and remove other researchers to a study, giving them permission to see HIPAA compliant data, or anonymize the data.
Patient Interface
A patient may interface with the system in a different way from the guardian or physician, and for an HMD that uses a mobile phone as its display element, the patent interface may be accessed through a mobile phone application. Following a login, the patient may see a main page that allows the patient to select avatars
The patient main page may allow the patient to select an avatar that represents them and pair the VR headset with the user interface streaming app. The patient may be able to purchase VR interface avatars, or select an activity to stream content to the display such as playing a game, viewing a stream, or even just browsing the web.
System Network
A patient 710, physician 720, and guardian-user 730 may interact with the HMD 102d using a network model shown in
The patient 710 may request certain activity selections for use with the HMD 102d, for example, web browsing or game play. The patient 710 may receive from the HMD 102d or client 740 feedback on the activity including haptic feedback, scores, rewards, or even age-appropriate reports. The physician 720 may provide treatment options for the patient 710 in the form of filter choices, duration of sessions, frequency of interaction, and the like. The physician 720 may receive reports on the patient's 710 progress.
The guardian(s) 730 may fill in bibliographic information and request reports from the client 740, or input access controls for certain activities, and receive reports.
All of the users 710, 720, 730 may interact with the HMD 102d, client 740, and inputs 750 in the manner described herein.
While the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments above, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various changes or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.
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| 20190290528 A1 | Sep 2019 | US |
