Description:

Title: Semi-automated Tear Breakup Detection and Modeling on the Ocular Surface

Speaker: : Richard Braun, Carl J. Rees Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Delaware

Abstract: The tear film is a thin fluid multilayer left on the eye surface after a blink.  A good tear film is essential for health and proper function of the eye.  Millions of people have a condition called dry eye disease (DED) that is thought to be closely linked to the tear film.  DED inhibits vision and may lead to inflammation and ocular surface damage.  However, there is little quantitative data about tear film failure, often called tear break up (TBU). Currently, it is not possible to directly measure important variables such as tear osmolarity (saltiness) within areas of TBU. We present a mostly automatic method that we have developed to extract data from video of the tear film dyed with fluorescein (for visualization). We have extracted data for 15 healthy subjects resulting in 467 instances of TBU. Using parameter identification from fits to appropriate math models, we estimate which mechanisms are most important in each instance and determine critical variables such as osmolarity within regions of TBU. Not only is new data obtained, but far more data, enabling statistical methods to be applied. So far, the methods provide baseline data for TBU in healthy subjects. Future work will produce data from DED subjects.

**Please note, this event will be held in-person, as well as online via Zoom at the following link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/98201248117

Special Note: This colloquium is on Tuesday at 11:15am, the new regular time for the applied math colloquium.

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