APPARATUS FOR HEALTH CORRELATION ASSESSMENT

• US 20150286794A1
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: NEWMAN, RICHARD W., XU, MIN, QIU, JIEJING, O'NEIL, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US14/744,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286794A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/022 for testing contrast sensitivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1241 specially adapted for observation of ocular blood flow, e.g. by fluorescein angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4088 Diagnosing of monitoring cognitive diseases, e.g. Alzheimer, prion diseases or dementia
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for performing a health correlation assessment based upon results an eye contrast sensitivity measurement test of a person. The health correlation assessment yields a predictive and probabilistic measure of the likelihood of the person appropriately assigned to a particular clinical health classification. Such an eye contrast sensitivity measurement can be used to identify people who are likely to be within a pre-Alzheimer'"'"'s disease state or within Alzheimer'"'"'s disease state of health and identify those who should seek further clinical and/or other types of testing to ascertain their actual health status and to determine an appropriate course of medical treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing a probabilistic assessment for one or more Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related clinical health classifications based upon results of a contrast sensitivity eye examination test, comprising:

an eye contrast sensitivity testing device that is configured to perform an eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to a first subject, and that is further configured to generate eye contrast sensitivity test result data, representing a result of said eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to said first subject;

a data access component for obtaining at least a portion of eye contrast sensitivity test result data from a first eye contrast sensitivity test performed by a first subject, from said eye contrast sensitivity testing device;

a health correlation assessment component that exercises a first algorithm in accordance with a correlation model, said component outputs at least one numerical probability value representing an estimated probability of said first subject being clinically assigned into at least one of a plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications, said probabilistic health classifications including at least one classification indicating a presence of an Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related state of health; and

an output component that outputs information representing said probabilistic health classifications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first algorithm employs mathematical coefficients each having values that are periodically re-determined from re-processing of a repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data, and wherein said repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data evolves via periodic addition of said other eye contrast sensitivity test result data over time.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first algorithm further processes personal attribute data associated with said first subject, for determining at least one said plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications for said first subject.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said probabilistic health classifications include one probability of a subject being appropriately classified as having a pre-clinical or clinical stage of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said correlation model is based, at least in part, upon an amount of time required for said test subject to complete said eye contrast sensitivity test.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said probabilistic health classifications include one probability of a subject being appropriately classified as having an absence of an Alzheimer'"'"'s related disease.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least a portion of a contrast sensitivity test result includes at least one contrast sensitivity test parameters of RightDurationTime, LeftDurationTime, MDLeftEye, MDRightEye, SuperiorLeftEye and SuperiorRight Eye.

8. A system for performing a probabilistic assessment for one or more Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related clinical health classifications based upon results of a contrast sensitivity eye examination test, comprising:

an eye contrast sensitivity testing device that is configured to perform an eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to a first subject, and that is further configured to generate eye contrast sensitivity test result data, representing a result of said eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to said first subject;

a data access component for obtaining at least a portion of eye contrast sensitivity test result data from a first eye contrast sensitivity test performed by a first subject, from said eye contrast sensitivity testing device;

a health correlation assessment component that exercises a first algorithm in accordance with a correlation model, said component outputs at least one numerical probability value representing an estimated probability of said first subject being clinically assigned into at least one of a plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications, said probabilistic health classifications including at least one classification indicating a presence of an Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related state of health; and

an output component that outputs information representing said probabilistic health classifications.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said first algorithm employs mathematical coefficients each having values that are periodically re-determined from re-processing of a repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data, and wherein said repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data evolves via periodic addition of said other eye contrast sensitivity test result data over time.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said first algorithm further processes personal attribute data associated with said first subject, for determining at least one said plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications for said first subject.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said probabilistic health classifications include one probability of a subject being appropriately classified as having a pre-clinical or clinical stage of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said correlation model is based, at least in part, upon an amount of time required for said test subject to complete said eye contrast sensitivity test.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said probabilistic health classifications include one probability of a subject being appropriately classified as having an absence of an Alzheimer'"'"'s related disease.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein said at least a portion of a contrast sensitivity test result includes at least one contrast sensitivity test parameters of RightDurationTime, LeftDurationTime, MDLeftEye, MDRightEye, SuperiorLeftEye and SuperiorRight Eye.

15. A method for performing a probabilistic assessment for one or more Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related clinical health classifications based upon results of a contrast sensitivity eye examination of a first subject, comprising the steps of:

providing an eye contrast sensitivity testing device that is configured to perform an eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to a first subject, and that is further configured to generate eye contrast sensitivity test result data, representing a result of said eye contrast sensitivity test with respect to said first subject;

providing a data access component for obtaining at least a portion of eye contrast sensitivity test result data from a first eye contrast sensitivity test performed by a first subject, from said eye contrast sensitivity testing device;

providing a health correlation assessment component that exercises a first algorithm in accordance with a correlation model, said component outputs at least one numerical probability value representing an estimated probability of said first subject being clinically assigned into at least one of a plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications, said probabilistic health classifications including at least one classification indicating a presence of an Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related state of health; and

providing an output component that outputs information representing said probabilistic health classifications.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said first algorithm employs mathematical coefficients each having values that are periodically re-determined from re-processing of a repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data, and wherein said repository of sample eye contrast sensitivity test data evolves via periodic addition of said other eye contrast sensitivity test result data over time.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said first algorithm further processes personal attribute data associated with said first subject, for determining at least one said plurality of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease related probabilistic health classifications for said first subject.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said probabilistic health classifications include one probability of a subject being appropriately classified as having a pre-clinical or clinical stage of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease or the absence of Alzheimer'"'"'s disease.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said correlation model is based, at least in part, upon an amount of time required for said test subject to complete said eye contrast sensitivity test.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein said at least a portion of a contrast sensitivity test result includes at least one contrast sensitivity test parameters of RightDurationTime, LeftDurationTime, MDLeftEye, MDRightEye, SuperiorLeftEye and SuperiorRight Eye.