Ocular testing method and apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for detecting changes or variations in a patient's body chemistry comprising means for projecting a beam of plane polarized light through the aqueous humor of a patient's eye, the aqueous humor containing a chemical which rotates the polarization axis of the light beam as it passes therethrough in proportion to the amount of said chemical present in the aqueous humor, and an analyzer positioned to be impinged by said exiting beam of light, said analyzer including means for measuring the angle through which the polarization axis of the light beam has been rotated.

Claim 3

Apparatus for detecting a hyper or hypo glycemic condition in the aqueous humor of a patient's eye comprising a housing having a reference member to which a patient aligns his eye, a light source spaced from said reference member, a lens system for directing a beam of light from said light source to the reference member so as to enter a patient's eye aligned therewith, pass through the aqueous humor and exit from the eye, and detector means positioned to receive the light beam as it exits from the patient's eye, the light beam being changed by changes in the glucose content of the aqueous humor as it passes therethrough so as to differently impinge upon the detector means, said detector means including indicator means which respond to different impingements of the light beam thereon so as to indicate a hyper or hypo glycemic condition.

Claim 4

Apparatus for detecting a hyper or hypo glycemic condition in the aqueous humor of a patient's eye comprising a housing having a reference member to which a patient aligns his eye, a light source spaced from said reference member, a lens system for directing a beam of light from said light source to the reference member so as to enter a patient's eye aligned therewith, pass through the aqueous humor and exit from the eye, and detector means positioned to receive the light beam as it exits from the patient's eye, the light beam being changed by changes in the glucose content of the aqueous humor as it passes therethrough so as to differently impinge upon the detector means, said detector means including indicator means which respond to different impingements of the light beam thereon so as to indicate a hyper or hypo glycemic condition.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the lens system includes means for plane polarizing the beam of light, the polarization axis of the light beam being rotated by the glucose content of the aqueous humor as it passes therethrough, and the analyzer means comprising a pair of superposed aligned plane polarizing discs, one of said discs being rotatable relative to the other to measure the angle through which the polarization axis of the light beam has been rotated.

Claim 6

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including means for locating the patient's eye relative to said reference member.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the locating means includes an adjustable nose engaging portion.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the locating means includes sighting means and means for centering the patient's eye therewith.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the detector means comprises an adjustable optical slit for selective passage of light, a photocell position to receive light passed by the optical slit, and a voltmeter connected to the photocell for measuring the intensity of the light impinging on the photocell.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8 wherein the beam of light directed through the aqueous humor of the patient's eye has been polarized and it is the axis of polarization of the light beam that is displaced by the glucose.

Claim 13

The method of claim 9 including the further step of measuring the angle through which the polarized light is rotated by the glucose content of the aqueous humor.

Claim 14

The method of claim 8 wherein it is the refraction of the light beam that is changed by the glucose content of the aqueous humor and the method includes the further step of measuring the change in refraction of the exiting light.