Invention:
This technology is a device that is designed to track head motion and rotation. It can be used to monitor glasses/patches-wearing compliance for children who have a lazy eye (amblyopia). The algorithm to filter the movement data is controlled by two parameters: a motion threshold parameter and a motion duration parameter.
Background:
Amblyopia is responsible for more loss of vision in people age 45 and younger than all other eye diseases and trauma combined. The National Eye Institute also reports that amblyopia affects 2-5% of preschool children. Untreated amblyopia costs the U.S. nearly $7.4 billion in earning power each year. A method to monitor glasses-wearing compliance is needed. Conventional physical activity monitors, such as FitBits, are of little use in measuring head position and associated position changes because the head is held upright and rotated about the spine. Because head motion results in changes of the gravity field, this technology employs an external field sensor that senses the Earth's magnetic field in three axes.
Applications:
- Monitor glasses-wearing compliance for children with amblyopia
- Monitor head posture for kids with nystagmus to help decide if they should undergo surgery
- Vision research
Advantages:
- First device to monitor glasses-wearing compliance for amblyopia
- Better device to monitor head movement than conventional physical activity monitors
