Eyelid illumination systems and methods for imaging meibomian glands for meibomian gland analysis

A meibomian gland imaging system for lid trans-illumination imaging of meibomian glands in an eyelid of a patient, comprising:

• an infrared (IR) light source configured to direct an IR light to an exterior portion of the eyelid to IR trans-illuminate the meibomian glands in the eyelid;
• a second IR light source configured to direct a second IR light to an interior portion of an interior surface of the eyelid;
• an imaging device configured to image the eyelid during IR trans-illumination;
• a lid flipping device comprising a body and a curved lid flipping end surface disposed on an end of the body, the curved lid flipping end surface configured to grasp and flip the eyelid to expose the interior portion of the interior surface of the eyelid to an imaging path of the imaging device;
• and
• a computer control system configured to:
• control the IR light source to direct the IR light to the exterior portion of the eyelid to IR trans-illuminate the meibomian glands in the eyelid;
• control the imaging device to capture an IR trans-illumination image of meibomian glands in the eyelid during IR trans-illumination, wherein the IR trans-illumination image of the meibomian glands in the eyelid is captured by the imaging device during IR trans-illumination while the eyelid is flipped;
• control the second IR light source to direct the second IR light to the interior portion of the interior surface of the eyelid to surface illuminate the interior surface of the eyelid, when not directing the IR light source to direct the IR light to the exterior portion of the eyelid;
• control the imaging device to image, in a surface meibography image of meibomian glands in the eyelid, the interior portion of the interior surface of the eyelid when the second IR light source is directed to direct the second IR light to the interior portion of the interior surface of the eyelid, wherein the image of the interior portion of the interior surface of the eyelid in the surface meibography image is captured by the imaging device while the eyelid remains flipped;
• and
• combine the IR trans-illumination image of meibomian glands and the surface meibography image of meibomian glands to generate a resultant image of meibomian glands.