An instrument includes a housing with a lower hand-held portion having a user-input button and a display for displaying an MPOD score for the user. The instrument further includes a viewing tube coupled to the hand-held portion. The viewing tube terminates in an eye cup. The viewing tube is transverse to the lower hand-held portion and transmits light from a light source in a direction toward the macula. The light source is an LED and provides two colored lights alternating at an initial frequency that is not perceptible by the user. The frequency decreases from the initial frequency until the user activates the user-input button in response to a frequency at which the user perceives a flicker of the two colored lights. The frequency at the perceived flicker relates to the MPOD score of the user. The MPOD score correlates to the amount of macular pigment.

In described embodiments, a device and method for diagnosing brain and neurological issues is provided. The device measures the performance of Convergence, Divergence, and binocular tracking capabilities of a subject's eyes, which can be used to determine whether a subject has experienced a brain or other neurological event.

According to various aspects, a new concept of Steady-State Visually Evoked Potential (SSVEP) based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is described where brain-computer communication occurs by capturing SSVEP induced by consciously imperceptible visual stimuli integrated into, for example, a virtual scene. These consciously imperceptible visual stimuli are able to convey subliminal information to a computer. In various embodiments, computer based operations can be mapped to visual elements with associated flickering stimuli, and induced SSVEP can be detected when the user focused upon them. In various embodiments, these visual elements can be introduced into existing display without any perceivable change to content being displayed.

The application describes treatment of hepatic encephalopathy using gastrointestinal specific antibiotics. One example of a gastrointestinal specific antibiotic is rifaximin. The instant application also provides methods for determining if a subject has a neurological condition or hepatic encephalopathy by determining the critical flicker frequency and/or the venous ammonia level of the subject at two or more time points. The invention further provides methods for treating these subjects.

A method to optimize learning based upon ocular information of a subject includes providing a video camera for recording a close-up view of a subject's eye. A first electronic display shows a plurality of educational subject matter to the subject. A second electronic display shows an output to an instructor. Changes in ocular signals of the subject are processed through the use optimized algorithms. A cognitive state model determines a low to a high cognitive load experienced by the subject. The cognitive state model is evaluated based on the changes in the ocular signals for determining a probability of the low to the high cognitive load experienced by the subject. The probability of the low to the high cognitive load experienced by the subject is displayed to the instructor.

The present invention generally relates to apparatus, software and methods for assessing ocular, ophthalmic, neurological, physiological, psychological and/or behavioral conditions. As disclosed herein, the conditions are assessed using eye-tracking technology that beneficially eliminates the need for a subject to fixate and maintain focus during testing or to produce a secondary (non-optical) physical movement or audible response, i.e., feedback. The subject is only required to look at a series of individual visual stimuli, which is generally an involuntary reaction. The reduced need for cognitive and/or physical involvement of a subject allows the present modalities to achieve greater accuracy, due to reduced human error, and to be used with a wide variety of subjects, including small children, patients with physical disabilities or injuries, patients with diminished mental capacity, elderly patients, animals, etc.

An instrument includes a housing with a lower hand-held portion having a user-input button and a display for displaying an MPOD score for the user. The instrument further includes a viewing tube coupled to the hand-held portion. The viewing tube terminates in an eye cup. The viewing tube is transverse to the lower hand-held portion and transmits light from a light source in a direction toward the macula. The light source is an LED and provides two colored lights alternating at an initial frequency that is not perceptible by the user. The frequency decreases from the initial frequency until the user activates the user-input button in response to a frequency at which the user perceives a flicker of the two colored lights. The frequency at the perceived flicker relates to the MPOD score of the user. The MPOD score correlates to the amount of macular pigment.

The invention discloses an objective and quantitative detection method for amblyopia by electroencephalogram (EEG). The method comprises the following steps: firstly, carry out binocular dichoptic viewing display, then design a visual evoked stimulation paradigm, establish a brain-computer interface platform, build a test interaction interface, next determine an amblyopia EEG quantitative index. By using a suppression coefficient (SI) to describe the binocular suppression relationship, quantify the degree of amblyopia, and finally obtain amblyopia detection result feedback, where the computer interaction interface module presents a final amblyopia detection result to realize feedback of a user. The operation is simple and rapid, the applicability is high, and the indexes are objective and quantitative.

A method to measure a cognitive load based upon ocular information of a subject includes the steps of: providing a video camera configured to record a close-up view of at least one eye of the subject; providing a computing device electronically connected to the video camera and the electronic display; recording, via the video camera, the ocular information of the at least one eye of the subject; processing, via the computing device, the ocular information to identify changes in ocular signals of the subject through the use of convolutional neural networks; evaluating, via the computing device, the changes in ocular signals from the convolutional neural networks by a machine learning algorithm; determining, via the machine learning algorithm, the cognitive load for the subject; and displaying, to the subject and/or to a supervisor, the cognitive load for the subject.

A pixel light source apparatus, system and method are disclosed for a stimulus source for visual pathway testing. A representative system includes a plurality of pixel light sources and a control and driver circuit. The pixel light sources are coupled to each other to form a partially-spherical dome, with each pixel light source arranged to emit light directed to a convergent location of the partially-spherical dome. The control and driver circuit implements a selected stimulus protocol to selectively energize each pixel light source to generate light stimulation to any arbitrary or selected portion of the retina of an eye of a human subject. A representative pixel light source comprises at least one elongated and optically opaque side wall; a rear wall; an illumination source; a first optical element defining a first light chamber; and a second optical element defining a second light chamber.