A Simple Eye Test For Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers have developed a new instrument called the TrueField to accurately measure the pupil responses of patients with multiple sclerosis.

AsianScientist (Dec. 12, 2013) – As you step outdoors into the bright sunshine, your pupils automatically contract. Scientists from the Australian Center of Excellence in Vision Science (ACEVS) based at The Australian National University (ANU) are making use of how this ‘pupil reflex’ is connected to the brain as a potential new way of testing the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Dr. Eman Ali and her ACEVS colleagues have used an instrument they are developing to accurately measure the pupil responses of MS patients and have found that the pupils of MS sufferers respond appreciably slower.

The study, published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, opens the door to a simple and quick way of tracking the severity of MS over time: the slower the response, the worse the MS.

“Our instrument uses special patterns of flashing lights that the patient looks at for four minutes,” said Professor Ted Maddess, a vision scientist at ANU who is head of the ACEVS team. “We use infrared cameras to measure light-induced changes in the diameters of both pupils, and with computer tracking we can measure the diameter to within a micrometer 30 times a second.”

The study tested 85 MS patients and showed that in MS patients the pupil response is about 25 milliseconds slower than in the control group. Instead of an expensive MRI to track the condition, the new method gives an accurate readout after just a few minutes. That quick and easy test might, in the future, allow MS patients to be assessed on the spot and have their medication adjusted accordingly, said Maddess.

Called TrueField, the instrument has also been shown to be helpful in diagnosing vision loss in glaucoma, diabetes, and age-related macular degeneration. It is currently being commercially developed by an Australian company, Seeing Machines, which plans to sell it as a multipurpose medical diagnostic instrument.

TrueField has already received American FDA clearance, and Maddess is hopeful it might, after some more research, also find a role as a cost-effective way to monitor MS.

The article can be found at: Ali E et al. (2013) Pupillary response to sparse multifocal stimuli in multiple sclerosis patients.

——

Source: Australian National University; Photo: daveynin/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Asian Scientist Magazine is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights R&D news stories from Asia to a global audience. The magazine is published by Singapore-headquartered Wildtype Media Group.

Related Stories from Asian Scientist