Using modeling and fuzzy logic to detect and track microvessels in conjunctiva images

The conjunctiva is a thin membrane that covers the surface of the eye and reveals the small blood vessels of the microcirculation for detailed non-invasive study. The morphology of these vessels is of interest because structural changes in the vascular bed have been shown to occur coincident with certain diseases. Detecting these changes could be used as an early indication, leading to more timely treatment. Our efforts have been to find a reliable method to automate the currently manual methods of analyzing images of the conjunctiva. Our approach has been to first model the illumination/reflection processes that contribute to a scene. We have then used the products of this model to develop some algorithms based on fuzzy logic to reliably detect blood vessel pixels in actual conjunctiva images. Work is progressing in the use of fuzzy logic concepts to track vessels from these detected points so as to provide complete vessel paths and other morphological information