Abstract for the NanoSpace 2001 International Conference in Galveston, Texas

Prospects for Autonomous Visual Field Testing on Space Missions

Wolfgang Fink (1,2,3) and Alfredo A. Sadun (3)

1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109
2 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
3 Doheny Eye Institute and Keck School of Medicine at USC, Los Angeles, CA
90033

Perimetry or visual field testing allows for a non-invasive way to test
the visual functionality of the retina and certain centers and pathways in
the brain. A recently devised novel 3D computer-automated visual field
test (by Fink and Sadun) provides a simple, yet highly accurate and
spatially resolved method to establish a three-dimensional depiction of
the "island of vision" (visual field) in a very short amount of time
(approximately 5 minutes per eye). Utilizing touchscreen technology, 
e.g., a touchsensitive TFT panel, and software only, it represents no
additional payload and is therefore most suitable and ready-to-fly on
space missions (e.g.: ISS and trip to Mars) in order to screen for and
monitor a variety of eye/brain diseases on a frequent and regular basis.
For completion of autonomy of this novel perimetric examination device, an
auto-diagnosis system is envisioned that could act as an onboard physician.
Its knowledge could be extracted from a large database of
shapes and slopes that are likely to be signature patterns for various
ophthalmological and neurological conditions by means of sophisticated
pattern recognition and classification algorithms (e.g.: neural networks,
classifier systems, support vector machines, etc.). Therefore the
transmission of this type of astronaut medical data back to Earth for the
purpose of remote classification and diagnosis could be rendered largely
unnecessary.