"Smart Eye Camera": An innovative technique to evaluate tear film breakup time in a murine dry eye disease model

Abstract

Tear film breakup time (TFBUT) is an essential parameter used to diagnose dry eye disease (DED). However, a robust method for examining TFBUT in murine models has yet to be established. We invented an innovative device, namely, the "Smart Eye Camera", which addresses several problems associated with existing methods and is capable of evaluating TFBUT in a murine DED model. We compared images taken by existing devices and the Smart Eye Camera in a graft-versus-host disease-related DED murine model. We observed that the quality of the images obtained by the Smart Eye Camera were sufficient for practical use. Moreover, this new technique could be used to obtain measurements for several consecutive ocular phenotypes in a variety of environments. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our new invention in the examination of ocular phenotypes, including TFBUT in a murine model. We highlight the potential for future translational studies adopting the Smart Eye Camera in clinical settings.

Evaluation of Nuclear Cataract with Smartphone-Attachable Slit-Lamp Device

“…The SEC may have the following potential advantages in healthcare: (1) It could be applied to other ophthalmological diseases, particularly in the anterior segment of the eye. We previously reported that this device could evaluate tear film breakup time and corneal epithelial disorder in a dry eye disease mouse model [ 8 ]. The size of the mouse eye is about 3-mm wide [ 17 ] and is much smaller than that in humans.…”

“…Although the non-specialists can use this portable slit-lamp device, the ophthalmologists may need to evaluate the recorded images to make a cataract diagnosis. SEC is a smartphone attachment that allows video recording [ 8 ], and thus, it may be useful in telemedicine. Several studies have demonstrated that ophthalmological diagnoses are amenable to remote medicine, as the diagnosis is made based on images of the eye [ 18 , 19 ].…”

“…To address this issue, we have previously invented a portable and recordable slit-lamp device, the “Smart Eye Camera” (SEC), which convert the smartphone light source to the light needed for the ophthalmology diagnosis. In addition, SEC has a recording function using smartphone camera and was proven to be safe and feasible in an animal model [ 8 ]. We added slit-light converter to make a slit-beam thin enough to diagnose the cataracts in direct focal illumination method [ 9 ].…”

A Study Validating the Estimation of Anterior Chamber Depth and Iridocorneal Angle with Portable and Non-Portable Slit-Lamp Microscopy

“…The SEC has a function that converts the light source from the smartphone into a 1-mm thin beam, allowing it to fall on the crystalline lens. Moreover, the SEC has a convex lens that magnifies the reflected light to a degree sufficient for ocular diagnosis [ 5 , 15 , 16 ]. The iPhone 7, 8, or SE (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA) was used to record the ocular video.…”

“…The SEC converts the light of the smartphone to the essential light needed for the ophthalmological diagnosis. We previously demonstrated its diagnostic function for cataracts in humans and the dry eye disease mouse model [ 5 , 15 , 16 ]. However, no study has investigated the ACD evaluation and angle estimation function of the portable and recordable slit-lamp device.…”