Procedure for the generation of a reflex tear secretion, which comprises the chemical stimulation of the cornea of the eye of a subject by applying a controlled jet of a gas with a high CO.sub.2 content, of at least 80% of CO.sub.2. Compact device (1,1′) for the generation of a reflex tear secretion, comprising a gas source (7) in the form of a disposable type cartridge containing a pressurized gas with a composition of at least 80% of CO.sub.2; and a pneumatic circuit connecting an outlet mouth of said gas source (7) with a gas outlet nozzle (3) of the device (1,1′), the circuit comprising pressure regulation means (8) and flow rate (17) regulation means suitable for ejecting puffs of gas through the outlet nozzle (3) at a predetermined pressure and flow rates.

An interferometric method of identifying the thickness of an object that is too thin to be resolved by a Fourier transform of the interference signal includes applying a harmonic frequency modulation to an envelope of the interference signal. Where the object is a tear film, this method may be utilized to determine a thickness of the lipid layer of the tear film.

Device and method for detecting tear film breakup, including a backlit translucent plate having a test chart positioned in front of at least one eye of a patient and having a pattern that reflects on the patient's eye, and at least one digital photographic camera connected to a computing system provided with means for processing and analysing images, a lens of the camera pointing towards the patient's eye in order to photograph a reflection of the test chart pattern on the patient's eye, wherein the test chart has a series of lines in the form of alternating horizontal or vertical transparent and opaque lines that form the pattern and at least one opening facing the camera lens.

Method for measuring the stability of a tear film of a patient using a device including a backlit translucent plate provided with a test chart positioned in front of at least one eye of the patient, at least one digital photographic camera connected to a computing system, and a camera lens pointing towards the patient's eye to photograph a reflection of a test chart pattern on the patient's. The method includes, from a starting time constituted by an eyelid blink, capturing a succession of images, detecting a succession of micro-movement areas in the images, and computing and storing data on the position, surface area and number of micro-movement areas of the tear film in each image, and computing and storing surface area and number of micro-movement areas of the tear film, and a measurement of the amplitude of the micro-movement areas as a function of time.

a substrate configured to be positioned in the presence of a fluid; a first electrode comprising a conductive film disposed on the substrate; and a second electrode comprising the conductive film disposed on the substrate and spaced from the first electrode. The device may further include a current measurement circuit configured to: apply a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the voltage is in an electrochemical active range of the conductive film such that a portion of the conductive film dissolves into the fluid; and transmit, to a processor, a signal indicating a current measurement of an electrical current flowing through the fluid including the dissolved portion of the conductive film.

A method for measuring a tear meniscus including: instilling fluorescein on the surface of a patient's eye to be examined, illuminating the eye to be examined with blue light and capturing an image of the eye to be examined, the image including non-fluorescent blue zones in the absence of fluorescein and fluorescent green zones in the presence of fluorescein, and in which the image analysis includes: identifying the tear meniscus and measuring its height in pixels, identifying the iris and measuring its outer diameter in pixels, calculating a ratio between an estimated or also measured physical diameter of the iris and its measurement in pixels and calculating the physical height of the tear meniscus based on this ratio.

Systems, methods and apparatuses for performing wound analysis using THz imaging are provided. Due to the large complex component of water's dielectric constant in the THz regime, and the relative frequency invariance of non-aqueous tissue constituents, this modality is highly sensitive to the water content of tissue. It has been found that using THz imaging turns the presence of edema into a contrast mechanism, and allows for the use of the spatial distributions of edema to assess wound status immediately. Apparatus and methods enable earlier diagnosis of wound status which could result in accelerated treatment and shorter overall hospital stays.

Systems and methods for detecting physical characteristics of a multilayered tissue of a subject, such as a tear film including analyzing received detector-output indicative of optical properties of light reflected or deflected from the respective multilayered tissue, to determine spectral properties of the multilayered tissue; and determining physical characteristics of the multilayered tissue by using multiple spectral models of the of the multilayered tissue, each model being associated with spectral properties indicative of different tissue characteristics, wherein physical characteristics of the multilayered tissue are determined by hierarchal determination of a best-fit model from the multiple spectral models.

An apparatus and method: project a plurality of light spots onto a cornea of an eye having a tear film disposed thereon, wherein the light spots are broadband light spots or are narrowband light spots whose bandwidth is tuned in time across a broad bandwidth; image the light spots from the cornea onto at least one two-dimensional detector array; spectrally resolve each of the plurality of imaged light spots; perform interferometry on the spectrally resolved imaged light spots to identify an anterior interface and a posterior interface of the tear film of the eye; and determine a thickness of the tear film as a distance between the anterior interface and the posterior interface.

An ophthalmological measuring device including an ocular measuring unit including a front face provided with a frame encircling a translucent plate the size and curvature of which are suitable for covering the ocular field of said patient, a device for providing uniform backlighting of the translucent plate, located behind the translucent plate, at least one camera equipped with an objective placed in line with a hole in the translucent plate, one or more point light sources in apertures on the edges of the translucent plate, for illuminating the eyes of the patient, and means for fastening one or more additional ophthalmological measuring devices to the translucent plate.