Image processing of patient´s test charts in diagnostic ophthalmology

In ophthalmic practice, the measurement and recording of a patient´s medical charts is an essential part of the diagnosis, follow-up, and management of many eye diseases. An automatic chart reader system is described. This system has two (low and high) processing levels. It receives a hard copy of the raw chart data as the input. The output from the low processing level is a geometric description of the charted information in the form of a summary features information vector. The output from the high processing level is a diagnostic description which interprets the meaning of the charted information in the context of the patient´s general health conditions. The system is designed to work as a stand-alone system or as a part of a comprehensive clinic automation system for which total system cost, flexibility, and speed of getting results are of major importance