See the Tear Film

A New Tool: LipiView Ocular Surface Interferometer

LipiView is an instrument developed to observe the tear film. It uses interferometry to capture images of the tear film, processing 14 million pixels per second – more than a billion data points in total – for evaluation of the tear film.

Tear film can be clearly seen as an array of colors that are reflected when a light source is directed towards the front surface of the eye.

 

The LipiView Interferometer is an office-based instrument containing a computer system, chin rest and forehead rest, camera and zoom lens, illuminator and a touchscreen display.

 

 

How LipiView Works

 
The LipiView Interferometer operates on the principle of white light interferometry and provides an interferometry color assessment of the tear film by specular reflection. The patient’s eye is positioned in front of an illumination source directed toward the tear film on the corneal surface. Light from the illumination source passes through the tear film and is specularly reflected into a camera. The light reflecting back through the lens in the camera forms an interference pattern, called an interferogram. The computer system captures a video image file that is recorded over time since the interference pattern changes as the tear film is distributed across the cornea during blinking.

The computer system captures and enhances the interference pattern and displays a profile corresponding to an interferometry scale. The interferometry assessment is presented as a one-page report to your physician, who will use it to help him/her evaluate your tear film.

 

The Meibomian Gland Evaluator

 
The Meibomian Gland Evaluator (MGE) is a handheld instrument used by a physician to evaluate meibomian gland secretions during a routine eye examination. The presence of liquid oil from a meibomian gland orifice during assessment with the MGE indicates the meibomian gland is not obstructed.