Automated stereocampimeter and related method for improved measurement of the visual field

An apparatus for testing the visual field of a patient for scotomas, comprising:

• two display members located on opposite sides of a plane of symmetry extending through the patient's head;
• a computer operatively connected to said display members for generating binocularly displaced images of a common fixation object on said display members;
• at least two mirrors inclined at different angles with respect to one another for directing light rays from respective ones of said display members to respective ones of the patient's eyes, each of said mirrors being disposed along an optical axis of a respective eye of the patient, at least one of said mirrors being a beam splitting mirror;
• a projection screen located on a side of said beam splitting mirror opposite the patient;
• and
• a projector for projecting a test image onto said screen, said computer being operatively connected to said projector for controlling the generation of test images on said screen.

A method for testing the visual field of a patient, comprising:

• generating on a test display area a series of test images at different points of the patient's visual field;
• recording the patient's responses to said test images;
• and
• during the generating of said test images, generating, on a pair of spaced display areas, two binocularly displaced images of a fixation object so that said fixation object appears to the patient to be three dimensional and in motion.

A method for testing the visual field of a patient, comprising:

• presenting stereoscopic or binocularly displaced fixation images to the respective eyes of the patient;
• producing a series of test images viewable by only one of the patient's eyes;
• and
• operating a computer to generate said fixation images and said test images.

A method of measuring movement of a pupil of an eye, comprising:

• (i) recording an initial picture of the eye with the pupil unobscured;
• (ii) generating an array of variables describing tangents to a curve of the pupil at regular space intervals;
• (iii) continually recording pictures of the eye being monitored;
• (iv) locating any portion of the pupil visible between eyelids of the eye;
• (iv) calculating a slope of left and right edges of the visible portion of the pupil;
• and
• (v) calculating a center of the pupil in the continuously recorded pictures using correspondence of the slope to the tangents in said array of variables as well as the distance between said left and right edges to correct for any enlargement or shrinking of the pupil from the initial picture.

A method for testing the visual field of a patient, comprising:

• presenting a fixation image to at least one eye of a patient;
• producing a series of test images viewable by said eye;
• and
• operating a computer to generate said fixation image and said test images,
• the presenting of said fixation image and the producing of said test images including the projection of video images from video displays onto at least one screen.

A method for testing the visual field of a patient, comprising:

• presenting a fixation image to an eye of a patient;
• and
• producing a series of test images to the patient;
• wherein said fixation image is substantially brighter than said test images.