Ocular scattering analyzer

A method for non-invasive in vivo inspection of ocular tissue comprising the steps of:

• (a) guiding low power, uniform and coherent laser light through the optical system of a slit lamp biomicroscope to the eye of a patient for scattering by protein molecules in the ocular tissue of the patient;
• (b) viewing scattered laser light in the ocular tissue through the slit lamp to visually align a pick up associated with the slit lamp optical system to a desired measurement location in the ocular tissue;
• (c) performing a measurement by receiving laser light scattered from the ocular tissue and converting the scattered light into an electrical signal;
• and
• (d) analyzing the electrical signal by obtaining at least one component characterized by an intensity and a fluctuation rate which component is associated with a protein group in the ocular tissue.

A method for non-invasive in vivo inspection of ocular tissue comprising the steps of:

• (a) directing low power, uniform, coherent laser light to the eye of a patient for scattering by protein molecules in the ocular tissue of the patient;
• (b) receiving laser light scattered from the ocular tissue and converting the scattered light into an electrical signal;
• (c) measuring time dependent fluctuations of said signal and calculating the autocorrelation function associated with said fluctuations;
• (d) converting said autocorrelation function to a two-component exponential decay curve;
• (e) computing the amplitudes and fluctuation rates of said two components;
• and
• (f) utilizing said amplitudes and fluctuation rates of said two components by relating them to two species of protein in said ocular tissue whereby the relative degree of laser light scattering by said two protein species provides information as to the condition of the ocular tissue.