Diagnostic, Prescriptive, and Data-Gathering System and Method For Macular Pigment Deficits and Other Eye Disorders

• US 20100241450A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zeavision LLC
• Original Assignee: Zeavision LLC
• Inventors: Hatfield, Terry B., Gierhart, Dennis L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,942,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A macular health measurement and storage system comprises a plurality of macular-pigment measurement machine for measuring macular pigment density in humans, a plurality of computers each of which is associated with a corresponding one the macular-pigment measuring machines, and a central host. The plurality of macular-pigment measurement machines include a device for receiving macular pigment data from a patient, at least one data transfer port, and at least one processor that enables the transfer of the macular pigment data from the transfer port. The plurality of computers include a first port coupled to the data transfer port of the corresponding macular-pigment measurement machine for receiving the macular pigment data. Each of the computers includes a second port for transferring patient data. The central host is coupled to the second ports on each of the plurality of computers. The central host includes a storage device for storing the patient data.

Claims

1. An eye health measurement and storage system, comprising:

a plurality of macular-pigment measurement machines for measuring macular pigment density in humans, each of said macular-pigment measuring machines including a device for receiving macular pigment data from a patient, at least one data transfer port, and at least one processor that enables the transfer of said macular pigment data from said transfer port;

a plurality of computers each of which is associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of macular-pigment measuring machines, each of said computers including a first port coupled to said data transfer port of said corresponding macular-pigment measurement machine for receiving said macular pigment data, each of said computers including a second port for transferring patient data, and each of said computers including an input device for receiving patient information including at least three of the group consisting of eye color, age, gender, smoking status, previously diagnosed eye disease, intake of nutritional supplements, and diet, wherein said patient information and said macular pigment data are used to calculate a risk assessment indication for determining the likelihood of said patient being inflicted with macular degeneration, said risk assessment indication being used to provide a recommendation for a first daily dosage of zeaxanthin or a second daily dosage of zeaxanthin; and

a central host remotely located from and coupled to said second ports on each of said plurality of computers, said central host including a storage device for storing said patient information and said macular pigment data for future use by said patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said central host includes a website that has been designed to receive said patient data from said computers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said macular-pigment measurement machines are designed to measure at least one additional physiological or macular-function indicator of eye health or vision status and said computers transfer data from said at least one physiological or macular-function indicator to said central host.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said input device receives information from said patient and/or an operator of said computer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said input device includes at least one of a keyboard and a touch screen overlying a display on said computer.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said patient enters information concerning a history of his or her eye health, and his or her diet.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein said patient enters information concerning nutritional supplements that he or she takes.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein said patient enters information concerning his or her eye color.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein said information includes an anonymous patient identification.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said computers includes a storage device for storing said macular pigment data for each of said patients.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said central host stores said macular pigment data transferred from each of said computers in a central storage device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said central host stores said macular pigment data in said central storage device with an anonymous patient identity.

17. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of different eye-measurement machines associated with a corresponding one of said computers to measure at least one additional physiological or responsive indicator of eye health or vision status and said computers transfer data from said at least one physiological or responsive indicator to said central host.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of macular-pigment measurement machines are one of a group consisting of a scanning laser opthalmoscope, a reflectometry device, a flicker photometry device, autofluorescence device, a Raman-scattering device, an anomalscope, and a modified fundas camera.

7. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. A method for addressing vision problems in individual human, comprising the acts of:

obtaining information from patients at multiple locations, said information including macular pigment data obtained via macular-pigment measurement machines at said locations, said macular-pigment measurement machines being linked to a central host;

in response to a patient lacking a desirable level of macular pigment, providing the patient with a recommendation for a first daily dosage of zeaxanthin to increase macular pigment to said desirable level over a period of time;

in response to a patient having a desirable level of macular pigment, providing the patient with a recommendation for a second daily dosage of zeaxanthin that is less than said first daily dosage; and

periodically transferring said information to said central host from said plurality of locations.

21. The method of claim 20, further including using statistical analyses to evaluate correlations between macular pigment density and said first and second daily dosages of zeaxanthin.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said statistical analyses correlates macular pigment density to patients who are not taking said and said first and second daily dosages of zeaxanthin.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said statistical analyses correlates macular pigment density to one or more of said eye color, age, gender, smoking status, previously diagnosed eye disease, intake of nutritional supplements, and diet.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said providing said first daily dosage and said second daily dosage to a particular patient is further in response to conclusions supported by said statistical analyses as said conclusions relate to a characteristic of said particular patient.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said characteristic includes at least one of the group consisting of eye color, age, gender, smoking status, previously diagnosed eye disease, and diet.

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

28-74. -74. (canceled)