A novel phase-based approach to tear film surface quality assessment using lateral shearing interferometry

Abstract

Lateral shearing interferometry (LSI) can be used for assessing the properties of tear film. In particular, it has the capability of acquiring dynamic variations in tear film surface quality (TFSQ) during an interblink interval in an in”-vivo fashion. The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of LSI based two”-dimensional (2”=D) phase estimation procedures in the analysis of tear film dynamics. The paper discusses the main difficulty in 2”=D phase estimation ”+ the problem of phase unwrapping, proposes a modification of one of the popular phase unwrapping algorithms, and suggests a set of phase parameters that could be exploited as LSI”-based TFSQ descriptors.