Non-invasive ocular monitoring

• US 8,380,270 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChromoLogic
• Original Assignee: ChromoLogic
• Inventors: Menon, Naresh
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US12/694,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 600318-321
• US Class Current: 600/318
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4869 Determining body composition

Abstract

A device for measuring an analyte concentration level in a subject. The device includes: a light source configured for illuminating at least a portion of an anterior region of an eye of the subject with incident light having a substantially broad illumination spectrum at an angle substantially tangential to the surface of the eye; an optical collector configured for detecting reflected light from the at least a portion of the anterior region of the eye; an analyzer configured for analyzing the detected reflected light; and a processor configured to determine the analyte concentration level in the subject based on the analyzed reflected light.

Claims

1. A device for measuring an analyte concentration level in a subject, the device comprising:

a light source configured for illuminating at least a portion of an anterior region of an eye of the subject with incident light having a substantially broad illumination spectrum at an angle substantially tangential to the surface of the eye;

an optical collector configured for detecting at least one of scattered or reflected light from the at least a portion of the anterior region of the eye;

an analyzer configured for analyzing the detected at least one of scattered or reflected light; and

a processor configured to determine the analyte concentration level in the subject based on the analyzed at least one of scattered or reflected light.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor determines a health condition of the subject based on the analyte concentration level and reference data, and wherein the reference data corresponds to an analyte concentration level in an anterior region of a healthy eye.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the illumination spectrum comprises wavelengths ranging from about 200 nm to about 900 nm.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the angle at which the eye is illuminated ranges from about 70 degrees to about 90 degrees.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a modulator configured for modulating the incident light to reduce extraneous effects.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the analyzer comprises an optical spectrometer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the analyzer comprises an interferometer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises an incoherent light source.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the analyte concentration level measured is of an analyte comprising at least one of metabolic compounds selected from the group consisting of:

carbohydrates, sodium, sodium based salts, sugars, glucose, proteins, peptides, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, triglycerides, polysaccharides, alcohols, ethanol, toxins, hormones, vitamins, bacteria-related substances, fungus-related substances, virus-related substances, parasite-related substances, pharmaceutical compounds, non-pharmaceutical compounds, pro-drugs, drugs, precursors, metabolites, degradation products, biomarkers, and surrogate markers.

10. A method for measuring an analyte concentration level in a subject, the method comprising:

irradiating at least a portion of an anterior region of an eye with incident light having a substantially broad illumination spectrum at an angle substantially tangential to the surface of the eye;

detecting at least one of scattered or reflected light from the at least a portion of the anterior region;

analyzing the at least one of scattered or reflected light; and

determining the analyte concentration level based on the analyzed at least one of scattered or reflected light.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a health condition of the subject based the analyte concentration level and reference data, wherein the reference data corresponds to an analyte concentration level in the anterior region of a healthy eye.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the illumination spectrum comprises wavelengths ranging from about 200 nm to about 900 nm.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising modulating the incident light to reduce extraneous effects.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the analyte concentration level measured is of an analyte comprising at least metabolic compound selected from the group consisting of:

carbohydrates, sodium, sodium based salts, sugars, glucose, proteins, peptides, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, triglycerides, polysaccharides, alcohols, ethanol, toxins, hormones, vitamins, bacteria-related substances, fungus-related substances, virus-related substances, parasite-related substances, pharmaceutical compounds, non-pharmaceutical compounds, pro-drugs, drugs, precursors, metabolites, degradation products, biomarkers, and surrogate markers.

15. A device for measuring an analyte concentration level in a subject, the device comprising:

a light source configured for illuminating at least a portion of an anterior region of an eye of the subject with incident light having a substantially broad illumination spectrum at an angle substantially tangential to the surface of the eye;

an optical splitter configured for splitting the incident light into first polarized rays and second polarized rays, wherein a polarization of the first polarized rays is substantially perpendicular to a polarization of the second polarized rays;

a first polarization rotation element configured for rotating the polarization of the first polarized rays to be substantially parallel to the polarization of the second polarized rays;

a first variable rotator configured for rotating the polarization of the first polarized rays and the polarization of the second polarized rays;

a second variable rotator configured for rotating a polarization of first reflected rays and a polarization of second reflected rays, wherein the first reflected rays and the second reflected rays comprise at least one of scattered or reflected light reflected from the at least a portion of the anterior region of the eye;

a second polarization rotation element configured for rotating the polarization of the second reflected rays to be substantially perpendicular to the polarization of the first reflected rays;

an optical combiner configured for combining the first and second reflected rays into combined reflected rays;

an optical collector configured for detecting the combined reflected rays;

an analyzer configured for analyzing the combined reflected rays; and

a processor configured to determine the analyte concentration level in the subject based on the analyzed combined reflected rays.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the processor determines a health condition of the subject based on the analyte concentration level and reference data, and wherein the reference data corresponds to an analyte concentration level in an anterior chamber of a healthy eye.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the illumination spectrum comprises wavelengths ranging from about 200 nm to about 900 nm.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the angle at which the eye is illuminated ranges from about 70 degrees to about 90 degrees.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein a path length of the second polarized rays and a path length of the second reflected rays in the aqueous humor is greater than a path length of the first polarized rays and a path length of the first reflected rays, respectively, in the aqueous humor.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the analyte concentration level measured is of an analyte comprising at least one of metabolic compounds selected from the group consisting of:

carbohydrates, sodium, sodium based salts, sugars, glucose, proteins, peptides, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, triglycerides, polysaccharides, alcohols, ethanol, toxins, hormones, vitamins, bacteria-related substances, fungus-related substances, virus-related substances, parasite-related substances, pharmaceutical compounds, non-pharmaceutical compounds, pro-drugs, drugs, precursors, metabolites, degradation products, biomarkers, and surrogate markers.