Eyeworld

44 March 2015 EW NEWS & OPINION Telescope, ensuring transmission of high-resolution space images to Earth after the scheduled launch in 2018. The Hubble Telescope just wasn't good enough. Even the tiniest mirror distortion could blur its ability to see into deep space. Similar optical principles affect the eye's ability to see. The iDesign Dx system allows ophthalmologists to take microscop- ically precise eye measurements with greatly increased resolution, thus providing details that improve the clinician's ability to measure ocular aberrations with accuracy, precision, and greater dynamic range. The system is capable of measuring not only the optical system, but also individual components of the eye— meaning it can capture the shape of the cornea; its curvature/power; the ocular wavefront; a patient's refraction; and pupil diameter under different lighting conditions in a single eye scan. The wavefront sensor in the iDesign Dx system measures all aspects of light—its intensity or brightness, as well as the light ray angles on the eye. Just as the James Webb Space Telescope is much improved over the Hubble thanks to new wave- front technology, modern refractive surgery is improving over previous incarnations. NASA innovation: Computer reader for the blind In the 1970s, a spin-off technology that enabled the blind and deaf- blind to read not just braille tran- scriptions but anything in print was produced by Telesensory (Mountain View, Calif.). But the company did not stop there. In 1989, it intro- duced a similar yet more advanced aid to the blind: a second-genera- tion device that not only allowed understanding of printed words, but also that of electronic information accessed on personal computers. The original Optacon device was a combination of optical and electronic technology incorporating research performed at the Stanford Research Institute under the spon- sorship of NASA's Ames Research Center. The user passes a camera over a printed page with one hand; a control unit processes the picture, translates it into a vibrating image of the words, and the user senses this vibrating image with his other hand. Optacon provided language access to thousands of blind people in more than 70 countries. In a joint venture, Telesensory and Canon (Tokyo) later created a computer-enhanced version of the original Optacon device. The Optacon II connected directly to an IBM or Macintosh computer. With its enhanced features, Optacon II opened up a new range of job opportunities to the blind. Interestingly, Optacon II was not limited to reading printed words: It could convert any graphic image viewed by the camera. EW Eyecare innovation: Wavefront technology To measure and map aberrations in the eye, the iDesign Dx system developed by Abbott Medical Optics (Abbott Park, Ill.) uses advanced wavefront sensing technology, according to information from the company. Similar technology was used by NASA to measure and shape the mirrors of the James Webb Space www.NewWorldMedical.com 800.832.5327 10763 Edison Ct., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 New World Medical, Inc. From NASA continued from page 43

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