Automatic Detection of Pre-ocular Tear Film Break-Up Sequence in Dry Eyes

Dry Eye Syndrome is a common disease in the western world, with effects from uncomfortable itchiness to permanent damage to the ocular surface. Nevertheless, there is still no objective test that provides reliable results. We extend our method for the automated detection of dryness signs to include the breakup time (BUT), analysis of the degree of thinning of the tear film and detection of meniscus induced dryness, the last two have not been previously addressed. Our motivation is to help the clinician to automatically detect and analyze various signs related to dry eyes. The method has been tested on over 100 videos taken from 30 different patients. When compared to an analysis done by a specialized optometrist, our method is demonstrated to provide an accurate estimation for the BUT and the extent of the disease.